Ohio Sues Five Drug Firms, Saying They Fueled Opioid Crisis -- Update
31 Mai 2017 - 9:12PM
Dow Jones News
By Jeanne Whalen
Ohio is suing five drugmakers, the state's attorney general said
Wednesday, alleging they fueled an opioid crisis in the state by
misrepresenting the addictive risks of their painkillers.
The lawsuit, filed in state court in Ross County, targets
various units of parent companies Purdue Pharma LP, Johnson &
Johnson, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Allergan PLC and Endo
International PLC.
Attorney General Mike DeWine said at a news conference that the
companies were dishonest with doctors about their painkillers'
risks. He said they marketed heavily to general practitioners, who
"may not have a particular specialty in that area."
"The evidence is going to show they knew what they were saying
was not true and they did it to increase sales," Mr. DeWine
said.
In a statement, Johnson & Johnson, parent of Janssen
Pharmaceuticals, which sells Duragesic, said: "We firmly believe
the allegations in this lawsuit are both legally and factually
unfounded. Janssen has acted appropriately, responsibly and in the
best interests of patients regarding our opioid pain medications,
which are FDA-approved and carry FDA-mandated warnings about the
known risks of the medications on every product label."
Teva said it is reviewing the complaint and didn't have an
immediate comment. Teva and its Cephalon Inc. unit sell the
painkillers Actiq and Fentora.
Purdue, maker of the painkiller OxyContin, said: "We share the
attorney general's concerns about the opioid crisis and we are
committed to working collaboratively to find solutions."
Allergan and Endo declined to comment. Allergan sells Kadian,
Norco and generic opioids. Endo, parent of Endo Health Solutions,
makes the painkiller Opana.
Ohio has been among the states hardest hit by opioid addiction,
which has helped drive U.S. overdose deaths to all-time highs. Many
people became addicted by taking powerful opioid painkillers, and
often then turned to heroin if they couldn't get access to pills.
Public-health officials have long blamed aggressive company
marketing and lax opioid painkiller prescribing for sparking the
crisis.
In an interview, Mr. DeWine said Ohio's lawsuit is among the
most comprehensive taken by any state against opioid-painkiller
makers. He said he believed only Mississippi has filed a suit
similar in scope to Ohio's.
Some cities and counties, including Chicago and California's
Orange and Santa Clara counties, have also sued opioid painkiller
makers, alleging misleading marketing that fueled addiction. West
Virginia sued drug distributors, alleging they improperly flooded
the state with addictive painkillers.
Perhaps the biggest legal hit to a painkiller company came in
2007, when Purdue Frederick Co., an affiliate of Purdue Pharma, and
three of its executives pleaded guilty in federal court to criminal
charges of misleading the public about the addictive qualities of
OxyContin, and agreed to pay the federal government and a group of
states $634.5 million in fines. That settlement grew out of a
multistate investigation and a federal lawsuit.
Write to Jeanne Whalen at jeanne.whalen@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 31, 2017 14:57 ET (18:57 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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