Insys Therapeutics Inc. said the lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman inaccurately linked the company as a material contributor to the U.S. opioid crisis.
The lawsuit, which relates to Insys' marketing of opioid painkiller Subsys, seeks up to $75 million in penalties and disgorgement of all relevant revenues.
In its response, the company pointed out that Subsys, which was launched in 2012, accounted for less than 0.02% of opioid prescriptions nationwide. In New York, out of the 2.23 million patients who were prescribed opioids in 2015, only 680 patients were prescribed Subsys, according to the company.
Insys stated that Subsys patients were 0.0065% of the total patients prescribed opioids in New York in 2017.
The company also pointed out that 2015 saw the highest utilization for Subsys, where about 9,200 patients were prescribed the drug. This compares to about 52 million patients who were prescribed other opioids in the U.S.
Separately, Insys Therapeutics is facing a similar case in North Carolina, with federal and state investigations also underway. The Arizona-based drugmaker said it will continue working with authorities to resolve the matter.
