Insys Therapeutics Former CEO To Pay $5 Million To New Jersey

By Heather van Blokland
Published: Monday, February 1, 2021 - 5:05am

The former head of Chandler-based pharmaceutical company Insys Therapeutics will pay the state of New Jersey millions to settle a lawsuit alleging the drug manufacturer helped fuel the opioid crisis. It's the latest settlement in court battles spanning several years.

John Kapoor, now age 77, will pay New Jersey $5 million to settle a lawsuit by the state that claimed his company bribed doctors to overprescribe its signature opioid, Subsys, an under-the-tongue fentanyl-based spray designed for extreme breakthrough pain that is 50 times stronger than heroin.

The New Jersey settlement requires he make two payments to the state — a lump sum of $1 million followed by another of $4 million.

Kapoor was already sentenced last January to more than five years in federal prison for his role in fueling the nation's opioid crisis — but will not report to prison until April after a federal judge granted a seventh postponement last week, citing the COVID-19 pandemic. 

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