OxyContin Maker Pleads Guilty to Falsely Promoting Drug as Less Addictive

OxyContin's manufacturer, according to the FDA, "trained its sales representatives to make false representations to health care providers" that, among other things, the drug was less addictive than morphine, that its active ingredient, oxycodone, was difficult to extract from the tablet, and that its delayed absorption was believed to reduce the potential for abuse.

The FDA says the company, Purdue Frederick, is paying more than $600 million "to resolve criminal charges and civil liabilities in connection with several illegal schemes to promote, market and sell" the drug.

The New York Times reported that the claims were part of an "aggressive marketing campaign that helped the company sell over $1 billion worth of OxyContin a year."