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Subscribe To Our Syndicated NewsOxyContin Makers Targeted by Kentucky Officials
-October 9, 2007
Government officials in Kentucky have filed a lawsuit against the makers of the prescription painkiller OxyContin seeking compensation for costs related to the drug's widespread abuse.
The number of deaths linked to abuse of OxyContin (oxycondone) has soared in recent years, particularly in Appalachian states like Kentucky where the drug is familiarly known as “hillbilly heroin.” Last year, 16 percent of drug overdoses in Kentucky were caused by OxyContin.
The Lawsuit
Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo filed the lawsuit against Purdue Pharma last week together with Pike County officials to be reimbursed for Medicaid prescription payments as well as for law enforcement and rehabilitation program costs related to abuse of OxyContin.
The lawsuit is seeking class-action status and millions of dollars in damages. Class-action status, if granted, will allow other counties throughout the state to take part in the claim. So far, six other counties have said they would join.
Misleading Marketing
In May, three executives at Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty to claiming that OxyContin was less addictive and prone to abuse than similar painkillers and agreed to pay more than $600 million in fines.
Just days before the plea agreement, the company settled a claim with 26 states and Washington D.C. for $19.5 million. The claim stemmed from accusations that the company pushed doctors to overprescribe OxyContin.
“It's ironic that those who manufacture a drug that is meant to ease the pain of those suffering from debilitating diseases and who truly need it have in fact inflicted so much pain by being deceptive and greedy,” said Wayne T. Rutherford, Pike County Judge-Executive.
(Source: Associated Press)
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