Opioid Coverage (6/26)

Traditional Media Coverage

1. Local state's attorney sues opioid companies on behalf of county and Illinois

   Jun 26, 2017 | WPSD Local 6 (KY)

   By Staff
   
   
   UNION COUNTY, IL - A local Illinois county has filed a lawsuit against five manufacturers of prescription opioids, alleging the companies lied about the risks, benefits and negative effects of the drugs to make more money.
2. Jersey County prosecutor files lawsuit against opioid companies (Video)

   Jun 26, 2017 | KSDK (MO)

   By Jennifer Meckles
   
   
   JERSEY COUNTY, ILL. - An Illinois county is suing the companies that manufacture opioids, claiming they are contributing to the opioid epidemic.
3. Drug suit seeks answers

   Jun 26, 2017 | News Press Now

   Lawsuits start with unproven allegations, so applauding the filing of a lawsuit runs the risk of prejudging the facts. We won’t prejudge.

Traditional Media Coverage

1. Local state's attorney sues opioid companies on behalf of county and Illinois

   Jun 26, 2017 | WPSD Local 6 (KY)

   By Staff

   UNION COUNTY, IL -

   A local Illinois county has filed a lawsuit against five manufacturers of prescription opioids, alleging the companies lied about the risks, benefits and negative effects of the drugs to make more money. 

   On Monday, Union County State's Attorney Tyler Edmonds filed the lawsuit against Perdue Pharma, Endo Health Solutions, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and its subsidiary Cephalon, Johnson & Johnson, and Allergan. 

   Edmonds is bringing the suit on behalf of the people of Union County, the people of Illinois as a whole, and the Union County government. 

   The suit seeks the following: 

   - Injunctive relief to prevent the companies from using deceptive practices in the future, which would mean a court order preventing those practices 
   - Restitution of money the companies acquired as a result of the deception they are accused of
   - To give up profits gotten by the deception they're accused of
   - Civil penalties of $50,000 per violation of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Practices Act
   - Civil penalties of $10,000 for violations of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Practices Act against individuals over 65 years of age
   - Fees and cost of the suit

   Edmonds' office says attorney Thomas Lech, former Madison County Circuit Court Chief Judge Ann Callis, and attorney Greg Jones have been appointed as special assistant state's attorneys to help with the case. 

   In a news releases sent Monday about the lawsuit, Edmonds said: 

   Throughout the country there is an opioid addiction crisis. Illinois and Union County are no different. This addiction crisis crosses all socioeconomic classes and includes your neighbors, friends, family members, and co-workers. All too often this opioid addiction leads to illicit drug use, crime, overdose and death. We believe that the evidence will show that this crisis was brought about by opioid manufacturers’ drive for profits at the expense of people. Opioid manufacturers through a coordinated, sophisticated and deceptive marketing campaign have led prescribers and consumers to believe that opioids were not addictive, addiction was easy to overcome, and prolonged use of opioids was appropriate for even low-level pain. The representations of the opioid manufacturers are not supported by, and in most instances are directly contrary to, the scientific evidence. We need to do everything we can to stop this crisis, and one of the ways to do that is to hold the opioid manufacturers responsible for their actions. 

   Edmonds' office provided a copy of the lawsuit it has filed, which you can read below this story. 

   [Embedded PDF of Lawsuit]

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2. Jersey County prosecutor files lawsuit against opioid companies (Video)

   Jun 26, 2017 | KSDK (MO)

   By Jennifer Meckles

   JERSEY COUNTY, ILL. - An Illinois county is suing the companies that manufacture opioids, claiming they are contributing to the opioid epidemic.

   Jersey County is the latest to file a complaint against companies that make and sell the powerful painkillers.

   The suit was filed Monday afternoon against five drug companies and their subsidiaries. Those companies include Purdue Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Johnson & Johnson, Endo Health Solutions, and Allergan PLC.

   The lawsuit was filed in Jersey County late Monday, and lists people of the county and the state of Illinois as the plaintiffs. The complaint accuses those companies of deceiving the public and doctors about the dangers of opioids, and contributing to drug abuse and addiction.

   The lawsuit claims the companies advocated “for the prescription and use of the drug to treat chronic pain outside of the medically necessary and proper guidelines,” misrepresented and concealed the “link between long-term use of opioids and addiction,” and misrepresented that “withdrawal from opioids is easily managed.”

   Jersey County complaint calls for injunctive relief, asking the court to require the defendants to prevent further alleged deception. It also calls for restitution of the money acquired as a result of the alleged deceptive acts, disgorgement of profits made as the result of the alleged deceptive acts, and civil penalties.

   Jersey County’s complaint joins a growing list of others challenging opioid manufacturers. In April, a similar lawsuit was filed in St. Clair County Illinois.

   Last week, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley also filed a complaint.

   Below are the statements from each company regarding the complaint filed Monday in Jersey County:

   Purdue Pharma

   “While we vigorously deny the allegations in the complaint, we share the county's concerns about the opioid crisis and we are committed to working collaboratively to find solutions. OxyContin accounts for less than 2% of the opioid analgesic prescription market nationally, but we are an industry leader in the development of abuse-deterrent technology, advocating for the use of prescription drug monitoring programs and supporting access to Naloxone -- all important components for combating the opioid crisis.”

   Endo

   "At Endo, our top priorities include patient safety and ensuring that patients with chronic pain have access to safe and effective therapeutic options. We share in the FDA’s goal of appropriately supporting the needs of patients with chronic pain while preventing misuse and diversion of opioid products.
   
   It is Endo's policy not to comment on current litigation."

   Teva

   "Teva is committed to the appropriate promotion and use of opioids. We have programs in place that educate prescribers, pharmacists and patients on the responsible use of these products. We are committed to working with the healthcare community, regulators and public officials to collaboratively find solutions."

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3. Drug suit seeks answers

   Jun 26, 2017 | News Press Now

   Lawsuits start with unproven allegations, so applauding the filing of a lawsuit runs the risk of prejudging the facts. We won’t prejudge.

   However, we will give Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley credit for doing what he thinks is needed to protect the health of the state’s residents who increasingly — and tragically — are becoming addicted to powerful prescription painkillers.

   Hawley last week alleged in state court in St. Louis that three makers of opioid painkillers — Purdue Pharma, Endo Pharmaceuticals and Janssen Pharmaceuticals — had “fraudulently misrepresented the serious risks” associated with use of their products.

   All three of the drug makers will defend their actions as responsible, and it is on Hawley to prove he has not recklessly cast blame.

   However, whether he wins or loses, we are the hopeful the judicial process of exploring his claims will bring clarity to how these drugs have become so widely used and abused, and will inform the public about what can be done to rein them in.

   Hawley says in 2015 about 500 Missourians died from opioid overdoses or complications; he says the opioid death rate in Missouri is 160 percent of the national average, and rising. Hawley also cites medical records showing more than 30,000 hospitalizations and emergency-room visits in the state in 2015 due to opioids.

   Even people who are not using these drugs recognize their brand names, including OxyContin and Percocet. The products are not new but in recent years they have become much more widely prescribed.

   Hawley contends the drugs previously were reserved for post-surgical recovery and end-of-life care. But in the last 20 years, he alleges the makers downplayed the risks of addiction and falsely claimed the drugs provided effective long-term relief for chronic pain.

   These are serious charges that stop short of addressing the roles and responsibilities of doctors and their patients, and of common criminals who have exploited the ease of obtaining prescriptions to profit on the black market.

   Evaluating Hawley’s claims requires a full understanding of how opioids have been marketed, prescribed and used. Only then can our courts — and the public — fairly assess how these powerful painkillers have come to be linked with such a serious health crisis.

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