U.S. state attorneys general of six states launched lawsuits against Purdue Pharma LP for the unlawful marketing and promotion of its prescription painkillers, including OxyContin.
The attorneys general from Nevada, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, North Dakota and Tennessee claim the Stamford, Conn.-based company engaged in deceptive marketing regarding the risks and benefits of prescription opioids, fueling the opioid crisis — which caused almost 64,000 overdose-related deaths in the U.S. in 2016.
The lawsuits allege that Purdue minimized the risks and overstated the benefits of the long-term use of opioids, downplayed the risk of addiction and denied or failed to disclose the greater risks of opioid use at higher doses.
Drug overdoses have caused 632,331 deaths in between 1999 to 2016 in the U.S., and out of these, 351,630 were related to opioids, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC.
"Because Purdue instigated the exponential growth of the opioid market and spent the largest amount of money on promoting opioid use, it reaped billions of dollars in profits that are unconscionable in these circumstances," North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem said in a press release.
In addition to suing Purdue, Florida also launched lawsuits against Endo International PLC, Allergan PLC, Johnson & Johnson's units, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Mallinckrodt PLC. Florida also sued drug distributors, including AmerisourceBergen Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and McKesson Corp.
"The complaint I filed today, seeks to hold some of the nation's largest opioid manufacturers and distributors responsible for their role in this crisis and seeks payment for the pain and destruction their actions have caused Florida and its citizens," said Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Purdue denied the accusations and stated that its drugs were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and only account for about 2% of all opioid prescriptions, Reuters reported May 15, citing a statement by Purdue.
"We are disappointed that after months of good faith negotiations working toward a meaningful resolution to help these states address the opioid crisis, this group of attorneys general have unilaterally decided to pursue a costly and protracted litigation process," said Purdue.
Arkansas and South Dakota filed lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson, Purdue Pharma and Endo International in March for their opioid marketing practices.
Previously in September 2017, a bipartisan coalition of 41 states expanded its probe into the marketing and sales practices of opioid manufacturers and wholesale distributors.
States that have taken similar legal actions include New Mexico, Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, South Carolina as well as several cities and counties.
