The Giants at the Heart of the Opioid Crisis

There are the Sacklers, the family that controls Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin. There are the doctors who ran pill mills, and the rogue pharmacists who churned out opioid orders by the thousands.

But the daunting financial muscle that has driven the spread of prescription opioids in the United States comes from the distributors — companies that act as middlemen, trucking medications of all kinds from vast warehouses to hospitals, clinics and drugstores.

The industry’s giants, Cardinal Health, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen, are all among the 15 largest American companies by revenue. Together, they distribute more than 90 percent of the nation’s drug and medical supplies. read more »

Facebook profits likely to fall after fake news and privacy scandals

Analysts predict first quarterly drop in earnings since 2015 on $3bn rise in turnover

Facebook is this week expected to report a rare decline in profits after a string of privacy breaches and fake news scandals.

With its founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg under pressure to clean up the social network, analysts predict the company’s net profit will drop to $4.7bn (£3.6bn) in the first quarter, from nearly $5bn a year ago. read more »

Japanese Prosecutors Bring New Charge Against Carlos Ghosn

Japanese prosecutors on Monday formally charged Carlos Ghosn, the former head of the Nissan-Renault auto alliance, with breach of trust, piling a new count of financial impropriety onto his existing charges in a move that adds pressure on him and ensures he remains jailed. read more »

Claims of Shoddy Production Draw Scrutiny to a Second Boeing Jet

Workers at a 787 Dreamliner plant in South Carolina have complained of defective manufacturing, debris left on planes and pressure to not report violations. read more »