The lawsuit specifically alleges the companies knowingly misled physicians and patients about appropriate opioid use while minimizing the risks of addiction and overdose, subsequently contributing to increases in overdose deaths.
“The opioid industry has taken a page out of big tobacco’s playbook,” L. Brooks Patterson, county executive of Oakland County, said during a Thursday press conference announcing the lawsuit. “They utilized misleading information, marketing campaigns and studies to convince the public that their product was safe. They put profits over people, and now people are paying the price, some with their lives.”
Defendents named in the suit include Purdue Pharma, Cephalon, Endo International, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Insys Therapeutics, AmerisourceBergen Corp., Cardinal Health, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals and McKesson Corp.
“We are deeply troubled by the opioid crisis and we are dedicated to being part of the solution,” said Purdue Pharma in a statement emailed to Becker’s. “As a company grounded in science, we must balance patient access to [Food and Drug Administration]-approved medicines, while working collaboratively to solve this public health challenge … We vigorously deny these allegations and look forward to the opportunity to present our defense.”
In Oakland County, opioid overdose deaths surged 267 percent from nine deaths in 2009 to 33 deaths in 2015. Wayne County saw 817 opioid-related deaths in 2016, up from 506 in 2015.
More articles on opioids:
Senator Claire McCaskill on the opioid epidemic, her ongoing investigation and more
Indiana University launches $50M anti-addiction initiative
7 things to know about the history and science behind opioid addiction
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