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Monday, 11 March 2019 09:07

Cover 2 Podcast: Week of 03/16/19

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When a key member of the government’s legal team went to work for the pharmaceutical industry, the job of diversion control enforcement changed dramatically. In this episode, Mr. Joseph Rannazzisi, who for over a decade, was the front man in the government’s battle against the opioid epidemic, shares a first-hand account of what happened when Congress took the word of an industry attorney over an agency that was actually enforcing the law.

Today, in the third part of our 4-part series, you’ll hear more of Mr. Rannazzisi’s unfiltered comments on the passage of the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Enforcement Act and the Congressional leaders behind it.  “This doesn’t ensure patient access and it doesn’t help drug enforcement at all. What this bill does has nothing to do with the medical process. What this bill does is take away DEA’s ability to go after a pharmacist, a wholesaler, manufacturer or distributor,” he said. “This was a gift. A gift to the industry.”  

Greg is joined on this episode by guest, award-winning author of “American Overdose”, Chris McGreal. McGreal’s book is a comprehensive portrait of the greed, corruption and indifference that led our country into the worst health crisis in American history. Additionally, Mr. McGreal is an investigative journalist for the Guardian, who in 2016, wrote a compelling story about Mr. Rannazzisi titled “Opioid epidemic: ex-DEA official says Congress is protecting drug makers.”  
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/oct/31/opioid-epidemic-dea-official-congress-big-pharma

Listen to this podcast, the third in our 4 part series, for more candid conversation with the former head of the Department of Diversion Control for the DEA, Mr. Joseph Rannazzisi.

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Monday, 11 March 2019 08:50

March 11 - Motivational Monday

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love — then make that day count!” ― Steve Maraboli

via Lisa Ryan, Grategy/Leadership USA
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Tuesday, 05 March 2019 10:29

Cover 2 Podcast: Week of 03/09/19

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This is the 2nd in our 4 part series with the former head of the Office of Diversion Control for the DEA, Mr. Joseph Rannazzisi. We began this series by talking about the surprisingly candid report released on December 19th, 2018 by the Energy and Commerce Committee titled “Red Flags and Warning Signs Ignored: Opioid Distribution and Enforcement Concerns in West Virginia”. The purpose of the report was to investigate allegations of “opioid dumping” in West Virginia. 
 
In today’s podcast with Mr. Rannazzisi, who for over a decade was the front man in the government’s battle against the opioid epidemic, you’ll hear an in-depth conversation about how the diversion controls, that were supposed to be in place to protect the public from “opioid dumping”, failed in epic proportions. He gives a candid account of the friction and distrust that emerged between DEA and the DOJ that resulted in a breakdown in their ability to protect the American public from shipments of mass quantities of opioids, previously flagged as suspect. He’ll share his unfiltered comments on the passage of the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Enforcement Act, a game-changing piece of legislation and you’ll learn about the people who were responsible for the legislative win for the pharmaceutical industry.
 
Mr. Rannazzisi offers his insights into the inter-workings of the Office of Diversion Control. As the department’s former leader, he was responsible for cracking down on doctors, pharmacies, drug manufacturers and distributors who did not follow the nation’s prescription drug laws. You may recall him from the 60 Minutes story titled “The Whistleblower” last fall.  
 
Greg is joined on this episode by guest, award winning investigative reporter, Pat Beall from the Palm Beach Post. Pat won Journalist of the Year for her work on The Post’s coverage of the heroin crisis, including profiles of the 216 people who died in 2015 from heroin-related overdoses, calculation of the cost of hospital care related to heroin treatment and a story linking Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to a fraudulent drug-screening company.
 
Listen to this podcast, the second in our 4 part series, for a behind the scenes look at who was behind law changes that helped fuel America’s opioid epidemic.
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Monday, 04 March 2019 09:09

March. 4 - Motivational Monday

"Goodbyes make you think. They make you realize what you’ve had, what you’ve lost, and what you’ve taken for granted.” -Ritu Ghatourey

from Lisa Ryan of Grategy Leadership USA
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Thursday, 28 February 2019 09:38

Upcoming Activities & Lent

Hello everyone!  We hope that everyone is in good health.  Attached you will find the March monthly letter and some activities that are coming up in the near future. Some of those activities include the French Toast Breakfast this Sunday, March 3rd. after the 8:00 AM Mass and the Ash Wednesday,March 6th. Fish Dinner from 4:30 PM until 6:45PM.  The tickets will be $9.00 this year.  Ashes will be distributed at the 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM Mass that day.  Hope that you can come.
 
We don't know if you have thought about Lent yet, but how about including the Shrine in your plans?  You can give up meat and patronize our Fish Dinners.  You can pray a bit more by attending one of our Masses.  We have Masses here everyday.  You can give alms in a different way.  How about visiting our gift shop and purchasing a Lenten book so that you can read a thought for the day?  How about finding out what family activities you can do together by seeing what the gift shop has in that category?  How about purchasing a religious Easter gift for a loved one?  These are just some ideas that perhaps you haven't thought of.  In any case hope that you can come and visit.
 
In the peace of the Trinity,

Sr. Phyllis Ann, O.SS.T.

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Tuesday, 26 February 2019 11:00

Cover 2 Podcast: Week of 03/02/19

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On December 19th, 2018, the Energy and Commerce Committee released a long awaited report titled “Red Flags and Warning Signs Ignored: Opioid Distribution and Enforcement Concerns in West Virginia”. The purpose of the report was to investigate allegations of “opioid dumping” in West Virginia. 
 
Today, we begin a 4-part series with Joseph Rannazzisi, who for over a decade, was the front man in the government’s battle against the opioid epidemic. Mr. Rannazzisi provides in-depth commentary on the Energy and Commerce Committee’s eye opening report, which, notably, is no longer available on the department’s website. 
 
Prior to the passage of the Ensuring Patient Access and Effective Drug Enforcement Act in 2016, Mr. Rannazzisi warned congress that passage of the bill would cripple their ability to regulate rogue distributors who were dumping millions of opioids across the country. Today, you’ll hear Mr. Rannazzisi’s unfiltered comments on this game-changing piece of legislation. 
 
As head of the Office of Diversion Control for the Drug Enforcement Administration, he was responsible for cracking down on doctors, pharmacies, drug manufacturers and distributors who did not follow the nation’s prescription drug laws. You may recall him from the 60 Minutes story titled “The Whistleblower” last fall.  
 
Greg is joined on this episode by guest, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Eric Eyre. Mr. Eyre received the distinguished award for courageous reporting, performed in the face of powerful opposition, to expose the flood of opioids flowing into depressed West Virginia counties with the highest overdose death rates in the country.
 
For more on Mr. Eyre’s award winning work go to: https://www.pulitzer.org/winners/eric-eyre
 
Listen to this podcast to learn more about who was behind law changes that helped fuel America’s opioid epidemic.
Published in Cover 2 Resources
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Monday, 25 February 2019 09:51

Feb. 25 - Motivational Monday

"Life is but a fleeting moment so do not waste a second on something that doesn't make you smile" - Jamie Hall

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Tuesday, 19 February 2019 11:01

Cover 2 Podcast: Week of 02/23/19

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We frame today’s podcast with Palm Beach Post reporters, John Pacenti and Pat Beall with a clip from the Insys Therapeutics rap video on the virtues of persuading doctors to prescribe higher doses of the company’s liquid opioid, Subsys. This week jurors in the Insys racketeering case in Boston heard the following lyrics from the company’s self-produced video; “I love titration. Yeah, it’s not a problem. I got new patients and I got a lot of ‘em”. That may be the most damning evidence against former executives of the company yet.
 
In this second part of our series, we continue our conversation on the deceptive sales practices pioneered by Purdue Pharma more than 20 years ago, and perpetuated by others in the industry. In 2007, Purdue Pharma executives pled guilty to misbranding and deceptive marketing but the charges were reduced from felonies to misdemeanors and they were sentenced to just 300 hours of community service, thanks in part to Rudy Giuliani. In January, the trial began for former executives of Insys Therapeutics for essentially the same deceptive sales practices Purdue Pharma pled guilty to 12 years earlier. Palm Beach Post reporter, John Pacenti describes a corrupt operation willing to do almost anything to induce physicians to overprescribe their product, Subsys Fentanyl spray. 
We close today’s podcast with more of the self-produced Insys rap video on the virtues of persuading doctors to prescribe higher doses of Subsys.  Go to Cover2.org to view the entire video featuring the company’s former director of sales, Alec Burlakoff, in a giant prescription bottle.
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Monday, 18 February 2019 08:58

Feb. 18 - Motivational Monday

“Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them." William Arthur Ward

 
Lisa Ryan, Grategy
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Thursday, 14 February 2019 09:12

Cover 2 Podcast: Week of 2/16/19

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Back in January, the pharmaceutical trial of Insys Therapeutics and company founder, John Kapoor faced charges of racketeering. Allegedly, he and six former sales directors operated a scheme which paid bribes to physicians to prescribe the fentanyl spray SUBSYS, a high-powered opioid pain medication. Between 2012-2016, approximately 908 people overdosed and died due as a result of SUBSYS.
 
Unfortunately, this tale is all too familiar for some. Back in 2007, Perdue Pharma pled guilty to these same sales practices and yet, little has been done to prevent future cases. Many companies, such as Insys Therapeutics are using this same questionable marketing today. Greg recently met with John Pacenti and Pat Beall to discuss more on this story and how years later, many pharmaceutical companies are still using these age-old tactics to push dangerous prescriptions. Hear more on today’s podcast.
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