Senator Investigates How Drugmaker Alkermes Pushed Its Opioid-Addiction Treatment
- California Democrat asks for documents in probe of practices
- Ireland-based company makes the addiction therapy Vivitrol
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A Democratic senator said that she was opening an investigation of tactics allegedly used by drugmaker Alkermes Plc to boost sales of its opioid-addiction treatment.
Senator Kamala Harris said the drugmaker “aggressively marketed” its medication, Vivitrol, convincing judges and prison officials to use it rather than more proven addiction-treatment drugs. The California senator said Alkermes spent hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying policy makers to receive federal funding for its treatment.