An en banc federal appeals court gave a terse answer to pleas by executives of one of the pharmaceutical industry’s biggest corporations to rescue their careers: No.

The full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit refused on November 29 to hear an appeal by Michael Friedman, Paul Goldenheim and Howard Udell of Purdue Frederick Co., who were convicted of misdemeanor misbranding tied to the promotion of thepainkiller Oxycontin as less addictive than other medication.