Witness: Former Pharma Exec Gave Lap Dance to Doc in Drug Scheme

A former pharmaceutical executive is accused of giving a lap dance to a doctor as part of a scheme to get him to prescribe the company's painkiller to his patients, The Associated Press reports. Sunrise Lee, a regional manager who has been described by prosecutors as a former erotic dancer, allegedly worked with three other executives of Insys Therapeutics who are accused of conspiring to pay doctors kickbacks—in the form of sham speaking events—to convince doctors to prescribe their “highly addictive fentanyl spray” to patients. Holly Brown, a former sales associate, reportedly testified in court Tuesday that Lee bounced around on a doctor's lap while the doctor groped her chest in a Chicago club after a work-related dinner. The doctor, Dr. Paul Madison, was reportedly described by Brown as running a “shady operation” that involved prescribing a large amount of opioids in northwest Indiana. According to Brown, Madison also spoke at an Insys event that was meant to be a reward for him rather than an educational program about the drug. The AP reports Brown also claimed she had trouble getting other doctors to attend Madison's event due to his “unsavory reputation,” so the doctor ended up inviting his friends.