How the ‘Worst’ Launch in Pharma History Spurred Opioid Surge

Insys Therapeutics Inc. founder John Kapoor was so determined to get back the millions he spent launching the company that he led Insys on a disastrous path of pushing its addictive opioid drug on patients who didn’t need them, according to his former chief executive officer, Michael Babich.

The way Kapoor ignored his subordinates, “you really don’t want to push back because once he makes up his mind, the decision is done,” Michael Babich told a Boston jury at Kapoor’s racketeering trial on Feb. 12. His demands contributed to a shift in marketing strategy after the company’s fumbled launch of ...