The story of David Yates’ film “Pain Hustlers” delves into exposing the egregious role that pharmaceutical companies played in the nation’s fall in health during the Opioid Crisis. Head of Zanna Therapeutics Jack Neel attempts to commercialise a novel cancer treatment but is unable to do so. That is, until Liza Drake, a desperate single mother who is wildly underqualified for the position, breaks into the office using Pete Brenner’s referral and figures out how to market their medicine, Lonafen. Nevertheless, the business’s and Liza’s goals elude them and have immoral outcomes.
As Liza and her team take advantage of this relationship to flood the market with their drug, it becomes a critical topic of discussion in the movie regarding the professional relationship between doctors and Big Pharma. Dr. Nathan Lydell (Brian d’Arcy James) becomes a major character in this scheme, which may cause some viewers to wonder if the character has any real-world basis given the film’s connection to reality. Let’s investigate!
Nathan Lydell is a Combination of Insys’ Speaker Program Doctors
Even if “Pain Hustlers” uses fictitious names and details to set itself apart from actual companies and people, Zanna Therapeutics nevertheless bears a striking resemblance to Insys Therapeutics. In a similar vein, despite being a fictional character, Nathan Lydell, the physician who supports Lonafen’s public release, appears to draw inspiration from a number of actual medical professionals.
The main focus of the story revolves around Lydell’s immoral relationship with Zanna, who provides him with strong motivation to prescribe their medication to his patients. To be exact, Lydell shows up as a ray of hope while Liza Drake is trying to make it big at Zanna, a business that is rapidly failing. Lydell introduces their inaugural Speaker Programme. As was the case with Zanna in “Pain Hustlers,” Speaker Programmes were crucial to Insys’s success in the healthcare sector.
Speaker programmes are typically limited to small, private gatherings where a physician hired by a pharmaceutical firm may discuss their experiences with a particular drug in an effort to persuade others to write prescriptions for it. On the other hand, Insys’ Speaker Programmes ultimately served as a haven for bribery operations and violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute.
Whether intentional or not, Lydell’s character was influenced by a number of physicians who took part in these Speaker Programmes and unethically promoted the Insys medication, Subsys. For example, when searching for speakers for the company’s programme, a former Insys representative from Florida who wishes to remain nameless claimed that she frequently went for doctors who appeared desperate and “power-hungry.” Seeking “[people] that are just going through a divorce, or doctors opening up a new clinic, doctors who are procedure-heavy,” was especially stated by the salesperson.
Lydell’s character seems to perfectly match the description. Another characteristic that sets him apart from the others is his unbridled eagerness to recommend the opioid painkiller Lonafen to everyone, even in the face of ethical dilemmas. One such physician with connections to Insys was Paul Madison, a real-life anesthesiologist and pain management specialist. Sales agent Holly Brown testified on Madison’s medical practise during the federal court criminal trial of Insys executives. She called Madison’s practise a “pill mill” and stated that Madison collected $70,800 in Speaker Fee from the Pharma business.
In addition, it has been stated that Madison’s relationship with Insys involves Sunrise Lee, a former strip club dancer. During a programme dinner, Lee, the regional sales director of Insys, allegedly even performed a lap dance for Madison. It’s simple to understand how Madison and Lee’s actual encounters may have served as inspiration for Lydell’s plot with Liza, despite the fact that it still doesn’t accurately reflect the details of their conversations.
Finally, there is yet another parallel between Lydell’s character in “Pain Hustlers” and the case of Gavin Awerbuch. Awerbuch, a Michigan-based neurologist who was frequently referred to as a top Subsys prescriber, was purportedly paid more than $89,000 by Insys for the Speaker Programme. Similar to Lydell, Awerbuch is accused of prescribing the medication to individuals who were not malignant, frequently with no justification at all.
But ultimately, after prescribing Subsys for a straightforward case of back pain, a patient—who happened to be an undercover police officer—had Awerbuch arrested. We may therefore draw the conclusion that Lydell’s persona draws inspiration from a variety of sources and endeavours to provide a unified portrayal of the various ethical transgressions that physicians committed out of greed in collaboration with Insys Therapeutics.
Where Are These Doctors Now?
The majority of physicians implicated in Insys’ bribery operations faced jail sentences and other sanctions. The anesthesiologist Paul Madison was found guilty by the authorities in 2018 of offences unconnected to Insys, such as identity theft, health care fraud, and making false statements concerning the provision of medical services. But even after his conviction, the doctor’s sentencing date was continually delayed until his death on January 22, 2022.
Gavin Awerbuch, a neurologist, was detained in 2014 and entered a guilty plea in November 2016 to charges of healthcare fraud and illegal Subsys distribution. The doctor only received a 32-month sentence, despite the fact that he could have received much more due to his collaboration with the Insys probe. In addition, Awerbuch was mandated by the court to pay a fine of $4.1 million.
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