Sales Bonuses

OxyContin made sales reps extremely wealthy. The heart of this wealth lay in generous bonuses paid by Purdue Pharma. These bonuses had strict rules for payout. A sales rep would be paid not according to the total number of prescriptions generated but rather on the total dollar amount of OxyContin prescribed. Thus, the higher volumes (and higher strengths) paid out unbelievably well. There were tales from all over the country that sales reps were making six figures a quarter. One sales rep in Myrtle Beach reportedly cleared $130,000 in bonuses in three months. Another sales rep remarked, "There were hundreds of millions sloshing around. We would go out to dinner in Darien, Connecticut. Dinner was $19,000. People were spending. Flights were bumped up" (218). Sales bonuses also included perks such as trips to Bermuda and Hawaii. OxyContin generated a shocking amount of money for all involved in its sale...