Preview Newsletter
Opioids Media Report 10/27/16
-
With addiction rates rising, NY counties join march to sue opioid manufacturers
Oct 27, 2016 | FiercePharma
By Joseph Keenan
With addiction rates continuing to climb, officials in New York's Broome County say they're looking to do what states such as Illinois and New Hampshire have--sue opioid manufacturers for misleading the public about abuse risks associated with the drugs. -
Broome County Considers Lawsuit Against Opioid Manufacturers (video)
Oct 26, 2016 | Time Warner Cable News
By Camille DeLongis
As heroin addiction continues to plague the Southern Tier, Broome County is looking into filing a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies, claiming they mislead people about the long-term risks associated with opioid pain treatment. View video clip here: http://www.twcnews.com/nys/binghamton/news/2016/10/26/broome-county-considers-a-lawsuit-against-opioid-manufacturers-.html -
Fox 40 News at 10
Oct 26, 2016 | Fox Binghamton, NY
View clip here: http://beta.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/24716405?token=51dbcc97-5146-4f46-94ea-47382534ad7c -
FOX40 News at Six
Oct 26, 2016 | Fox Binhamton NY
View clip here: http://beta.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/24716415?token=51dbcc97-5146-4f46-94ea-47382534ad7c -
WENY News
Oct 26, 2016 | CBS Elmira NY
View clip here: http://beta.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/24716466?token=51dbcc97-5146-4f46-94ea-47382534ad7c
Traditional Coverage
Broadcast Coverage
Full Text of Stories Below
-
With addiction rates rising, NY counties join march to sue opioid manufacturers
Oct 27, 2016 | FiercePharma
By Joseph Keenan
With addiction rates continuing to climb, officials in New York's Broome County say they're looking to do what states such as Illinois and New Hampshire have--sue opioid manufacturers for misleading the public about abuse risks associated with the drugs.
County Executive Debbie Preston told TWC News that the county is in the process of hiring a law firm that is also representing Suffolk County on Long Island in a similar suit against opioid drugmakers.
Addiction to painkillers has reached epidemic heights in the U.S. in the past few years.
In August, the Attorney General of New Hampshire accused Purdue Pharma, which makes the highly addictive opioid Oxycontin, of failing to aid his investigation into its marketing of the drug
Only a week earlier, Illinois AG Lisa Madigan filed suit against Phoenix, AZ-based Insys Therapeutics ($INSY), accusing the company of targeting doctors, who then prescribed high volumes of an opioid nasal spray to patients whose pain didn't qualify for the med. The drug, Subsys, was FDA-approved only to treat cancer pain, and it was used for patients with back pain and other maladies.
Purdue, Allergan ($AGN) and Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ) have also been sued by the city of Chicago, which accuses the drugmakers of contributing to a dramatic rise in opioid and heroin addiction in the city. Chicago is seeking to recover some of the costs of dealing with the epidemic, and it filed an amended complaint this week detailing those costs.
Opioid makers should emphasize the dangers of their meds rather than downplay or simply disclose them, Broome County's Preston said. "Shouldn't they be out there doing an ad stating what the real risks are with opioids and what it can lead to?” she said.
The county, she added, believes the drugmakers are at the root of the addiction epidemic and need to bear some of the burden local governments face, such as costs associated with treatment, rehabilitation and law enforcement.
"We have to stand up and say enough, and ... people have to be held responsible," she said.
-
Broome County Considers Lawsuit Against Opioid Manufacturers (video)
Oct 26, 2016 | Time Warner Cable News
By Camille DeLongis
As heroin addiction continues to plague the Southern Tier, Broome County is looking into filing a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies, claiming they mislead people about the long-term risks associated with opioid pain treatment.
"Shouldn't they be out there doing an ad stating what the real risks are with opioids and what it can lead to? Because you know some opioids, they're affiliated with heroin, and they don't talk about that," said Broome County Executive Debbie Preston.
The county is in the process of working on a contract with Simmons Hanly Conroy, a national law firm that's representing Suffolk County in a comparable lawsuit. Broome County's attorney says it'll be pursuing similar causes of action against drug makers.
"Primarily, it's their marketing of the opioids and the manner in which they did it without fully disclosing to the public the addictive nature of them," said Broome County Attorney Robert Behnke.
Broome County believes drug making companies are at the root of the addiction epidemic, so they need to take on some of the burden local governments face and incur the costs associated with the problem -- "Costs that the county incurs for treatment, for rehabilitation, for law enforcement, that we think are attributable to this epidemic and attributable to the practices of the pharmaceutical manufacturers," said Behnke.
"We have to stand up and say enough, and ... people have to be held responsible," said Preston.
Preston added any financial gain from a potential lawsuit would go toward local treatment and education.
View video clip here: http://www.twcnews.com/nys/binghamton/news/2016/10/26/broome-county-considers-a-lawsuit-against-opioid-manufacturers-.html
-
Oct 26, 2016 | Fox Binghamton, NY
View clip here: http://beta.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/24716405?token=51dbcc97-5146-4f46-94ea-47382534ad7c
Rough transcript: a potential lawsuit could be in the works in broome county against opioid drug makers. the focus is to hold them accountable for the costs associated with addiction treatments. county executive debbie preston says pharmaceutical companies are at the root of the opioid epidemic. the broome county attorney says that they're in the process of working on a contract with simmons hanly conroy, a national law firm. that firm is also representing suffolk county, which is also suing drug manufacturers for allegedly misleading consumers and doctors about the long term risks of opioid Mpainkillers. broome county leaders says they'd likely be bringing similar causes of action against pharmaceutical companies. "instead of being so much on to the benefits, i think they should be coming out with more about what the actual risks are, and i don't see them doing it. so when i saw that suffolk was doing that, i'm like we gotta do it. we have to tell them they've got to stand up and they've got to take some responsibility." preston says any financial gain from a possible lawsuit would be used for addiction treatments and education in the county. preston is running for re-election in november. she faces democratic challenger, jason garnar. but just how likely would a lawsuit like this be, and would it be successful? our legal expert says there's no solid basis for the legal theory behind the lawsuit, but similar cases have resulted in settlements. he says it would be interesting to see any of these cases go to trial and what legal precedent would be set. "what happens in these cases, and we saw it in some of the lawsuits involving the tobacco industry, is that the industry will say we would rather settle, pay money, make some changes, rather than find out exactly what the law is in this area." derohannesian says the lawsuit could impact pharmaceutical companies financially and affect the way they promote their drugs to the public.
-
Oct 26, 2016 | Fox Binhamton NY
View clip here: http://beta.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/24716415?token=51dbcc97-5146-4f46-94ea-47382534ad7c
Rough transcript: broome county discussing the possiblility of filing a lawsuit against opioid drug makers. it would hold them accountable for the costs associated with addiction. county executive debbie preston says pharmaceutical companies are at the root of the opioid epidemic. the broome county attorney says they're now in the process of working on a contract with simmons hanly conroy, that's a national law firm. that firm also representing suffolk county, who is suing drug manufacturers for allegedly misleading consumers and doctors about the long term risks of opioid painkillers. broome county says they'd likely bringing similar causes of action against those pharmaceutical companies. "instead of being so much onto the benefits, i think they should be coming out with more about what the actual risks are, and i don't see them doing it. so when i saw that suffolk was doing that, i'm like we gotta do it. we have to tell them they've got to stand up and they've got to take some responsibility." preston saying any financial gain from a possible lawsuit would be used for addiction treatment and education in broome county. preston is running for reelection in November. she is facing democratic challenger jason garner.
-
Oct 26, 2016 | CBS Elmira NY
View clip here: http://beta.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/24716466?token=51dbcc97-5146-4f46-94ea-47382534ad7c
Rough transcript: broome county is considering filing a lawsuit again opioid drugmakers. according to press connects out of binghamton, county officials are in talks with manhattan based attorneys right now about the broad outlines of a potential lawsuit. they're basing it on a suffolk county lawsuit which sued 15 pharmaceutical companies and individual doctors. that lawsuit accuses the maker of oxycontin about misleading consumers and providers about the safety risks of opioids. if broome county files this lawsuit, they would be one of the first counties in the nation to try to hold pharmaceutical companies responsible for the costs of addiction.
Traditional Coverage
Broadcast Coverage
Full Text of Stories Below
Add recipients
Suggested