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OK Opioid Coverage

Oklahoma AG Lawsuit Coverage

Oklahoma sues opioid drugmakers; New Hampshire presses epidemic probe (UPDATE)
Jun 30, 2017 | Reuters
By Heide Brandes and Nate Raymond

Oklahoma on Friday became the fourth U.S. state to accuse drugmakers of misrepresenting the risks of opioid pain medications, saying they engaged in deceptive marketing that helped fuel an addiction epidemic.
Oklahoma Sues Opioid Painkiller Makers
Jun 30, 2017 | The Wall Street Journal
By Jeanne Whalen

Oklahoma became the latest state to file a lawsuit against opioid painkiller makers, alleging they caused widespread addiction by misrepresenting the benefits and addictive risks of their drugs.
Oklahoma AD Sues 4 Drug Manufacturers Over Opioid Addiction (UPDATE)
Jun 30, 2017 | Associated Press
By Tim Talley

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter is suing more than a dozen manufacturers of opioid pain medication, alleging that deceptive marketing campaigns by the drugmakers have fueled Oklahoma's opioid epidemic.
Oklahoma attorney general sues pharmaceutical companies (UPDATE)
Jun 30, 2017 | NewsOK.com
By Randy Ellis

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter sued more than a dozen pharmaceutical companies Friday — accusing them of making fraudulent marketing claims that greatly understated the addictive risks of opioid painkillers while overstating the treatment benefits.
Oklahoma lawsuit against opioid drug makers alleges deceptive marketing contributes to deadly epidemic
Jun 30, 2017 | Tulsa World (OK)
By Barbara Hoberock

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter on Friday filed a lawsuit against four of the nation's leading makers of opioid pain medications. Hunter's lawsuit alleges deceptive marketing practices by the companies contributes to the state's opioid addiction epidemic. A specific amount of damages being sought was not available; however, Hunter said he hopes portions of any monetary recovery would go toward rehabilitation and treatment costs.
Oklahoma sues pharmaceutical companies in battle against opioid crisis
Jun 30, 2017 | FOX 25 News (OK)
By Austin Prickett

Oklahoma's Attorney General has announced a lawsuit against four pharmaceutical companies in a battle against the opioid crisis. AG Mike Hunter says the suit against Purdue Pharma, Allergan, Cephalon and Janssen was filed June 30 in Cleveland County. Hunter's suit claims that companies knowingly marketed their drugs as safe for chronic pain management while downplaying the risks of opioid dependency and overstating the effectiveness of the drugs.
Attorney talks about state's suit against drug companies (VIDEO)
Jun 30, 2017 | The Oklahoman

Attorney Michael Burrage talks about being retained by the state to sue drug companies for allegedly contributing to the opioid epidemic in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma's Attorney General Sue Drug Manufacturers Over Opioid Addiction
Jun 30, 2017 | News 6 on 6 (OK)

Oklahoma's Attorney General Mike Hunter has filed a civil lawsuit against four major opioid companies. At a news conference Friday morning, Hunter said the opioid epidemic is out of control and that the companies have a long history of false advertisement that's resulted in thousands of deaths.
Oklahoma AG files class action lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies
Jun 30, 2017 | The Norman Transcript
By Jacob McGuire

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter has filed a class action lawsuit against several prominent pharmaceutical companies. In a petition filed today in Cleveland County District Court, Hunter alleges that representatives from Purdue Pharma L.P., Actavis Pharma, Inc., Cephalon, Inc. and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. abused power and resources by overselling opioids to Oklahomans while underselling the risks of addiction.
Oklahoma alleges J&J, Allergan, Teva misrepresented addictive risks of opioids
Jun 30, 2017 | Seeking Alpha
By Carl Surran

Oklahoma becomes the fourth state to file a lawsuit against opioid painkiller makers, alleging they caused widespread addiction by misrepresenting the benefits and addictive risks of their drugs.
Another State Sues ‘Fraudulent’ Big Pharma Over The Drug Crisis
Jun 30, 2017 | Daily Caller
By Steve Birr

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter is suing drug manufacturers in the U.S. for their alleged role in sparking the opioid epidemic through “fraudulent” advertising.
Opioid Lawsuit
Jun 30, 2017 | KWON (OK)
By Ben Nicholas

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter has filed a lawsuit in Cleveland County against four of the nation’s leading manufacturers of opioid pain medication, claiming the effects of deceptive marketing campaigns over the last decade have fueled the state’s opioid epidemic.
Oklahoma AG Files Lawsuit Against Prescription Drug Companies
Jun 30, 2017 | KRMG (OK)
By Russell Mills

Friday, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter announced his office is suing four manufacturers of opioid-based prescription drugs.

Broadcast Coverage

KFOR NewsChannel 4 at Noon
Jun 30, 2017 | NBC Oklahoma City, OK

View clip here: https://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/28060913?token=01d075d9-1d70-4c67-801a-a1ca71116e2e
The News On 6 at Noon
Jun 30, 2017 | KOTV CBS OK

View clip here: https://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/28060024?token=01d075d9-1d70-4c67-801a-a1ca71116e2e
FOX25 News at 11am
Jun 30, 2017 | Fox OKC

View clip here: https://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/28060934?token=01d075d9-1d70-4c67-801a-a1ca71116e2e

Oklahoma AG Lawsuit Coverage

Oklahoma sues opioid drugmakers; New Hampshire presses epidemic probe (UPDATE)

Jun 30, 2017 | Reuters

By Heide Brandes and Nate Raymond

Oklahoma on Friday joined growing litigation over claims drugmakers misrepresented the risks of opioid painkillers, as New Hampshire cleared a hurdle in its own probe of the role played by companies in the national addiction epidemic.
Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter filed a lawsuit in Cleveland County District Court against Purdue Pharma LP, Johnson & Johnson, Allergan Plc and units of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
The drugmakers engaged in a "fraudulent, decades-long marketing campaign to profit from the suffering of thousands of Oklahomans," Hunter said.
"The lawsuit claims the companies knowingly marketed their drugs as safe for chronic pain management while downplaying the risk of opioid dependency," he added.
Purdue, which makes OxyContin, said it denies the allegations but shares Hunter's concerns about the epidemic.
J&J said it acted appropriately, adding that its opioid medications carry U.S. Food and Drug Administration-mandated warnings about their risks.
Allergan said it supports the safe, responsible use of prescription medications. Teva said it is committed to the appropriate promotion and use of opioids.
Opioids, including prescription painkillers and heroin, killed more than 33,000 people in the United States in 2015, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Oklahoma's lawsuit followed similar cases brought against some of the same companies by Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri. Several cities and counties in California, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee and New York have also filed lawsuits over companies' marketing of opioids.
A group of state attorneys general announced an investigation this month of the role played by pharmaceutical companies in the opioid epidemic.
The states investigating include New Hamsphire, where the highest state court on Friday overturned a lower-court ruling that prevented the enforcement of subpoenas against five drugmakers.
The lower-court's decision was based on a finding, now reversed, that the attorney general acted outside his authority by executing a contingency fee agreement with a private law firm to pursue the case.
"This case is massive in scope, and we do not have sufficient resources without assistance of outside counsel," said James Boffetti, chief of the New Hampshire attorney general's consumer protection bureau.
Boffetti said Purdue is the probe's current focus. The state had been working with Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll to push its investigation forward but it is now relying on Motley Rice after the case's lead attorney switched firms.

Purdue said it was disappointed and believes "that privatizing law enforcement presents serious public policy concerns."

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Oklahoma Sues Opioid Painkiller Makers

Jun 30, 2017 | The Wall Street Journal

By Jeanne Whalen

Oklahoma became the latest state to file a lawsuit against opioid painkiller makers, alleging they caused widespread addiction by misrepresenting the benefits and addictive risks of their drugs.
The lawsuit, filed in state court, targets the parent companies and subsidiaries of Purdue Pharma L.P., Johnson & Johnson , Teva Pharmaceutical IndustriesLtd. and Allergan PLC.
“Over a period of several years, defendants executed massive and unprecedented marketing campaigns through which they misrepresented the risks of addiction from their opioids and touted unsubstantiated benefits,” the lawsuit alleges. “The damage defendants’ false and deceptive marketing campaigns caused to the state of Oklahoma is catastrophic.” The state is seeking damages and penalties to compensate it for costs related to addiction.
Purdue, which sells the painkiller OxyContin, said: “While we vigorously deny the allegations in the complaint, we share the attorney general’s concerns about the opioid crisis and we are committed to working collaboratively to find solutions.”
Johnson & Johnson, whose subsidiary Janssen sells the opioid drug Duragesic, said: “We recognize opioid abuse is a serious public health issue that must be addressed. At the same time, we firmly believe Janssen has acted responsibly and in the best interests of patients and physicians.”
The other companies didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. In response to similar lawsuits previously filed by Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri, Teva said it was “committed to the appropriate promotion and use of opioids.” Teva sells the opioid drugs Actiq and Fentora.
Allergan, which sells the painkillers Kadian and Norco, said “it has a history of supporting—and continues to support—the safe, responsible use of prescription medications,” including opioids and said the drugs “play an appropriate role in pain relief for millions of Americans” when used correctly.
The state lawsuits come amid mounting public concern over opioid addiction, which has helped drive U.S. overdose rates to all-time highs.

Many people became addicted by taking powerful opioid painkillers and often progressed to heroin if they couldn’t get access to pills. Public-health officials have long blamed aggressive company marketing and lax prescribing for sparking the crisis.

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Oklahoma AD Sues 4 Drug Manufacturers Over Opioid Addiction (UPDATE)

Jun 30, 2017 | Associated Press

By Tim Talley

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter on Friday sued more than a dozen manufacturers of opioid pain medication, alleging that deceptive marketing campaigns by the drugmakers have fueled the state's opioid epidemic.
The lawsuit alleges the manufacturers "executed massive and unprecedented marketing campaigns through which they misrepresented the risks of addiction from their opioids and touted unsubstantiated benefits."
"We believe these companies are culpable for the tragic, heartbreaking number of Oklahomans who have become addicted or who have died as a result of the opioid epidemic in our state," Hunter said shortly after filing the lawsuit.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that opioids, including prescription painkillers, were factors in more than 33,000 deaths across the U.S. in 2015, and opioid overdoses have more than quadrupled since 2000.
Since 2009, Hunter said, more Oklahoma residents have died from opioid-related deaths than in vehicle crashes in the state. The lawsuit states that Oklahoma is one of the leading states in prescription painkiller sales per capita, with 128 painkiller prescriptions dispensed per 100 people in 2012.
"We just can't let companies dehumanize the population," Hunter said. "You almost feel like these deaths are just statistics on a spread sheet."
Among other things, the lawsuit seeks an injunction against the manufacturers' marketing practices and monetary damages that Hunter said he hopes will be dedicated to rehabilitation of opioid-addicted Oklahomans.
"We've got to invest more in rehabilitation in this state," he said.
Hunter said former federal judge Michael Burrage, whose niece died from opioid-related causes in 2006, has been retained to prosecute the case on a contingency basis.
Although the lawsuit seeks damages for opioid-related costs, "it's also about much more," Burrage said. He said the ultimate goal of the lawsuit is "to change the behavior of these companies." "They need to be honest when they make representations to doctors about the effect of a drug. With opioids the doctors were lied to," Burrage said.
Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman did not immediately schedule a hearing in the case.
The lawsuit is similar to one filed earlier this month by officials in Missouri. Hunter said lawsuits have also been filed against opioid manufacturers in Ohio and Mississippi.
In April, the Cherokee Nation sued distributors and retailers of opioids, alleging they contributed to "an epidemic of prescription opioid abuse." The lawsuit alleged the companies created conditions in which "vast amounts of opioids have flowed freely from manufacturers to abusers and drug dealers" within the 14 northeastern Oklahoma counties that comprise the Cherokee Nation.
Last week, Hunter's office filed five counts of second-degree murder against an Oklahoma doctor in the overdose deaths of at least five patients from the powerful painkillers and other drugs she prescribed.
Dr. Regan Nichols, 57, allegedly prescribed more than 3 million doses of controlled dangerous drugs from 2010-2014.
An investigator found that in 2010, Nichols prescribed one 47-year-old patient a total of 450 painkillers, muscle relaxants and anti-anxiety drugs. The patient died six days later.

Online court records do not indicate whether Nichols has entered a plea to the charges. Her attorneys, Thomas Adler II and Dan Good, did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment.

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Oklahoma attorney general sues pharmaceutical companies (UPDATE)

Jun 30, 2017 | NewsOK.com

By Randy Ellis

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter sued more than a dozen pharmaceutical companies Friday — accusing them of making fraudulent marketing claims that greatly understated the addictive risks of opioid painkillers while overstating the treatment benefits.
"We've had almost 3,000 overdose deaths in the last three years in Oklahoma," Hunter said. "We need to hold these people accountable. Manufacturers have in a consistent and ... cold-blooded fashion marketed these drugs in a way that has misrepresented their tendency to be addictive and the extent to which they can be deadly."
Johnson & Johnson, Purdue Pharma LP, Cephalon Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., Allergan PLC, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. are among the drug companies named as defendants in the lawsuit, which was filed Friday in Cleveland County District Court.
A partial list of opioid drugs the various companies manufacture includes OxyContin, Dilaudid, Kadian, Actiq, Fentora, Duragesic and Nucynta.
Drug company officials defended the actions of their companies Friday.
"Teva is committed to the appropriate promotion and use of opioids," said Nancy Leone, a spokeswoman for that company. "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."
William Foster, spokesperson for Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., said his company recognizes that opioid abuse is a serious public health issue that must be addressed.
"At the same time, we firmly believe Janssen has acted responsibly and in the best interests of patients and physicians with regard to these medicines, which are FDA-approved and carry FDA-mandated warnings about possible risks on every product label," Foster said.
Since 2015, Janssen has made several business decisions designed shift the company's focus to other areas of unmet medical needs and no longer promotes any opioid pan medications, a company official said.
Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri all previously have filed similar lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies.
Oklahoma's lawsuit paints a bleak portrait of the alleged human and financial carnage that the abuse of opioid prescription drugs has inflicted on Oklahoma and the rest of the nation.
"From 1999 to 2015, more than 183,000 people died in the U.S. from overdoses related to prescription opioids," the lawsuit states.
Oklahoma has been particularly hard hit, the attorney general said.
"Drug overdose deaths in Oklahoma increased eightfold from 1999 to 2012, surpassing car crash deaths in 2009," the lawsuit said. By 2015, the number of Oklahoma drug overdose deaths had reached 823, with the number of prescription drug overdose deaths greater than the number of overdose deaths from "alcohol and all illegal drugs combined."
The lawsuit blames the drug companies for exacerbating the problem through "false and deceptive marketing campaigns."
The lawsuit cites several marketing practices that were allegedly deceptive, including Purdue's distribution of a promotional video that claimed "the rate of addiction amongst pain patients who are treated by doctors is much less than 1 percent."
The same marketing video claimed "they do not have serious medical side effects."
Contrary to that claim, the lawsuit contends "as many as one in four people prescribed opioids long term for non-cancer pain in primary care settings struggles with opioid addiction."
The attorney general alleges drug companies marketed their opioids through "clandestine channels" in Oklahoma and elsewhere, paying doctors to serve as consultants and funding third-party organizations that had the deceptive appearance of being independent.
"Defendants utilized and funded these organizations to spread their misrepresentations by downplaying the risks of addiction of opioids and (touting) the benefits of use for conditions like chronic pain," the lawsuit states.
Through "misrepresentations and omissions," drug companies were able convince doctors and patients that signs of addiction in patients were actually "signs of 'pseudoaddiction' requiring heavier doses of opioids."
The marketing has been extremely successful, with sales of OxyContin, alone, rising from $48 million in 1996 to $3 billion by 2009, the lawsuit states.
The consequences for Oklahoma have been "catastrophic," Hunter said.
In a 14-county area of northeastern Oklahoma, there were enough opioid pills prescribed in 2016 to provide every man, woman and child with 90 pills, Hunter said, citing data gathered by the Cherokee Nation through its examination of records created through a prescription monitoring program operated by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control.
The Cherokee filed its own tribal court lawsuit against several large pharmacies and distributors in April.
In addition to thousands of deaths, the misuse of prescription painkillers has cost Oklahoma billions of dollars in extra costs for health care, law enforcement and addiction treatment, Hunter said.
"Our goal is to compensate the state for taxpayers' dollars that have had to be expended to address what has gone on in the state with regard to opioids that are literally flooding into the state," he said.
The lawsuit accuses the drug companies of violations of the Oklahoma Medicaid False Claims Act and Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act. It also alleges fraud, constructive fraud, unjust enrichment and that the companies have acted as a public nuisance.
The attorney general is asking for a jury trial. He wants the drug companies to pay both actual and punitive damages, as well as be ordered to pay back their "ill-gotten gains."
Hunter has retained outside legal counsel to assist his office with the lawsuit.
Helping Hunter represent the state will be the Whitten Burrage law firm of Oklahoma City; attorney Glenn Coffee of Oklahoma City; and Nix, Patterson & Roach LLP, a firm based in Austin, Texas.
Hunter said he selected the Whitten Burrage firm because of the legal talents of Mike Burrage and Reggie Whitten and their high degree of motivation.
"Both Mike and Reggie have experienced tragedies in their families with respect to opioid overdoses," Hunter said. "I'm hiring somebody in behalf of the state that is going to have the interests of the state paramount and somebody who is going to have altruistic motivations here."
Coffee is a former Oklahoma Secretary of State and Senate president pro tem.
Nix, Patterson & Roach was one of five firms that represented the state of Texas in successful litigation against the tobacco industry and has experience suing pharmaceutical companies.
Burrage said opioid abuse has cost Oklahoma in a variety of ways.
"Oklahoma's economic loss is in the billions of dollars for health care costs, costs on the criminal justice system, work productivity, injuries to workers, absenteeism, unemployment — the list just goes on and on," Burrage said.
"We have two goals in this lawsuit," he said. "One is to recover the economic loss to the state of Oklahoma. But we also hope to make a change in the way that these companies do business and want to stop these fraudulent marketing tactics."
The filing of Friday's lawsuit opens a new battle front in Attorney General Hunter's efforts to combat Oklahoma's opioid abuse epidemic.
A week ago, he charged Midwest City doctor Regan Ganoung Nichols with five counts of second-degree murder, accusing her contributing to the deaths of patients by prescribing excessive amounts of opiods.

Earlier, he worked with the Legislature to create a new Oklahoma Commission on Opioid Abuse that will work to create new policies to help bring more control to the prescribing and use of opioid painkillers. In announcing the task force, Hunter said last April that he wouldn't hesitate to use the powers of the state's multicounty grand jury to obtain data from pill manufacturers.

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Oklahoma lawsuit against opioid drug makers alleges deceptive marketing contributes to deadly epidemic

Jun 30, 2017 | Tulsa World (OK)

By Barbara Hoberock

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter on Friday filed suit in Cleveland County against four opioid drug companies alleging their deceptive marketing practices contributed to the state’s deadly painkiller epidemic.
Listed as defendants are Purdue Pharma, Allergan, Cephalon and Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
A specific amount of damages being sought was not available.
“Our calculations are that it could be in the billions of dollars,” Hunter said.
Hunter said he hopes portions of any recovery would go toward rehabilitation and treatment costs.
“The settlement ought to be in large part dedicated towards rehabilitation, towards dealing with the addiction, dealing with addictions as illnesses as opposed to crimes,” Hunter said.
The suit also seeks an injunction against the companies to bar misrepresentations and false claims.
“These companies have waged a fraudulent, decade-long marketing campaign to profit from the anguish of thousands of Oklahomans,” Hunter said. “These companies have made in excess of $10 billion a year, while our friends, family members, neighbors and loved ones have become addicts, gone to prison or died because of the opioid epidemic.
“Today, we begin a fight to hold these companies accountable, slow the crisis and build a healthier state. One death or one addiction related to opioids is too many.”
Hunter has hired Whitten Burrage, the firm of former U.S. District Judge Michael Burrage, to serve as lead attorney on a contingency basis. Burrage said his niece committed suicide after becoming addicted. His law partner also lost his son to addiction, Burrage said.
“This lawsuit is about money that the taxpayers have been out because of the treatment, but it is also about much more,” Burrage said. “The practices that these pharmaceutical companies have engaged in, the lives they have destroyed through their fraudulent conduct, their fraudulent misrepresentations, has to be stopped.”
The suit seeks to change the behavior of the companies, Burrage said.
“They need to be honest when they make representations to doctors about the effect of a drug,” Burrage said. “With opioids, the doctors were lied to. I don’t know how else to say it.”
The suit alleges the companies violated Oklahoma’s Medicaid False Claims Act, the Consumer Protection Act and created an ongoing public nuisance.

“Over a period of several years, defendants executed massive and unprecedented marketing campaigns through which they misrepresented the risks of addiction from their opioids and touted unsubstantiated benefits,” the suit alleges.
As a result of such conduct, the state paid and continues to pay millions in health care costs due to dependency, the suit alleges.
“These costs include unnecessary and excessive opioid prescriptions, substance abuse treatment series, ambulatory series, inpatient hospital service and emergency department services, among others,” the suit alleges. “Defendants conduct also caused the state of Oklahoma to incur substantial social and economic costs including criminal justice costs, and lost work productivity costs, among others.”
The suit alleges the companies hired large forces of sales representatives who misrepresented the drugs to doctors by saying the risk of addiction was low and touting unsubstantiated benefits.
The doctors were doing what the drug companies told them was safe, Burrage said.
Other states that have sued drug makers include Ohio, Missouri and Mississippi, Hunter said.
In 1996, then Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson joined other states in a successful lawsuit against tobacco companies to recoup hundreds of millions in tax dollar which funded medical expenses incurred by smokers.

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Oklahoma sues pharmaceutical companies in battle against opioid crisis

Jun 30, 2017 | FOX 25 News (OK)

By Austin Prickett

Oklahoma's Attorney General has announced a lawsuit against four pharmaceutical companies in a battle against the opioid crisis.
AG Mike Hunter says the suit against Purdue Pharma, Allergan, Cephalon and Janssen was filed June 30 in Cleveland County. Hunter's suit claims that companies knowingly marketed their drugs as safe for chronic pain management while downplaying the risks of opioid dependency and overstating the effectiveness of the drugs.
"We believe these companies are culpable for the tragic, heartbreaking number of Oklahomans who have become addicted or have died because of the opioid crisis in the state," Hunter said.
The lawsuit alleges that "knowingly marketed drugs as safe for chronic pain management, while downplaying risks of opioid dependency and overstating the effectiveness of the drugs". It also states that the companies have created "a generation of Oklahomans who have become addicts, convicts or have met their deaths".
"By waging a fraudulent decades-long marketing campaign to profit from the suffering of thousands of Oklahomans, these companies have made in excess of $10 billion per year," Hunter said.
Hunter says the number of opioid deaths in the state has grown past the number of Oklahomans killed in car crashes.
Leading the case is former Oklahoma federal judge Mike Burrage. Burrage has lost a close family member to the opioid crisis.
"The lies have to be stopped...It's about getting the money the taxpayers have been burdened with and to change the behavior of these companies," Burrage said.
The suit seeks to have the companies make a declaration that they violated Oklahoma law, an injunction asking them to stop misrepresentation of their drugs and payment for damages and penalties related to the opioid crisis.

Hunter recently filed five murder charges against a Midwest City doctor, claiming she over prescribed opioids to patients.

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Attorney talks about state's suit against drug companies (VIDEO)

Jun 30, 2017 | The Oklahoman

Attorney Michael Burrage talks about being retained by the state to sue drug companies for allegedly contributing to the opioid epidemic in Oklahoma.
View video clip here: http://newsok.com/multimedia/video/5489329734001#gsc.tab=0

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Oklahoma's Attorney General Sue Drug Manufacturers Over Opioid Addiction

Jun 30, 2017 | News 6 on 6 (OK)

Oklahoma's Attorney General Mike Hunter has filed a civil lawsuit against four major opioid companies.
At a news conference Friday morning, Hunter said the opioid epidemic is out of control and that the companies have a long history of false advertisement that's resulted in thousands of deaths.
The four companies outlined in the lawsuit are: Purdue Pharma, Allergen, Cephalon, and Janssen pharmaceuticals.
The suit is calling for the companies to pay back billions of dollars to the state.
Hunter said the fraudulent marketing of the products have lead to a generation of addicts, convicts and deaths.
"Today we begin a fight to hold these companies accountable and slow the opioid crisis gripping the state and build an healthier Oklahoma," said Mike Hunter.
Hunter says the state is seeking the following in the case: A declaration that the companies’ actions and practices violated state law An injunction against the companies to stop misrepresentations and false claims in the state Payment for damages and penalties caused by the defendants including: punitive, legal fees, Medicaid reimbursement and consumer reimbursement. All other relief to which the state is entitled.
Former Oklahoma Federal Judge Michael Burrage will be lead attorney in the suit.
Oklahoma is now the fourth state to file suit against opioid companies.

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Oklahoma AG files class action lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies

Jun 30, 2017 | The Norman Transcript

By Jacob McGuire

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter has filed a class action lawsuit against several prominent pharmaceutical companies.
In a petition filed today in Cleveland County District Court, Hunter alleges that representatives from Purdue Pharma L.P., Actavis Pharma, Inc., Cephalon, Inc. and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. abused power and resources by overselling opioids to Oklahomans while underselling the risks of addiction.
“[The companies] wanted to increase their opioid sales, and increase they did. By 2009, OxyContin retail sales reached $3 billion," the document read. "By 2015, the number of Oklahoma drug overdose deaths had reached 823, with the number of prescription drug overdose deaths greater than the number of overdose deaths from alcohol and all illegal drugs combined."
The state, plaintiff in the suit, said the companies violated the Oklahoma Medicaid False Claims Act, Oklahoma Medicaid Program Integrity Act, Oklahoma Consumer Protection Act, and the state is seeking compensation for damages, costs and punitive damages.
No court date has been set in the case yet. The defendants have 20 days to file a response to the petition.
See the full story in Saturday's edition of The Transcript.

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Oklahoma alleges J&J, Allergan, Teva misrepresented addictive risks of opioids

Jun 30, 2017 | Seeking Alpha

By Carl Surran

Oklahoma becomes the fourth state to file a lawsuit against opioid painkiller makers, alleging they caused widespread addiction by misrepresenting the benefits and addictive risks of their drugs.
The lawsuit by the Oklahoma Attorney General's office targets parent companies and subsidiaries of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ -0.1%), Allergan (AGN -0.2%), Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA +0.9%) and Purdue Pharma.
Oklahoma follows Mississippi, Ohio and Missouri in suing the drug manufacturers over their opioid marketing and sales practices.

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Another State Sues ‘Fraudulent’ Big Pharma Over The Drug Crisis

Jun 30, 2017 | Daily Caller

By Steve Birr

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter is suing drug manufacturers in the U.S. for their alleged role in sparking the opioid epidemic through “fraudulent” advertising.
Hunter launched the lawsuit Friday, following the lead of a growing number of states looking to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for allegedly spreading addiction. The lawsuit targets Purdue Pharma, Allergan, Cephalon and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, accusing them of knowingly misleading doctors and consumers on the abuse risks of their painkiller drugs, reports WFOR.
The lawsuit seeks to collect millions of dollars from the companies as compensation for the cost of opioid addiction to taxpayers in the state. Hunter also wants the courts to publicly declare that pharmaceutical companies violated Oklahoma law through their marketing practices. If the lawsuit succeeds, the companies will be on the hook for Medicaid and consumer reimbursements.
“These companies have waged a fraudulent, decade–long marketing campaign to profit from the anguish of thousands of Oklahomans,” Hunter said Friday in a statement. “These companies have made in excess of $10 billion a year, while our friends, family members, neighbors and loved ones have become addicts, gone to prison or died because of the opioid epidemic. One death or one addiction related to opioids is too many.”
Purdue Pharma, which often comes under the harshest scrutiny, says they are committed to solving the opioid addiction crisis. A representative of the drug maker previously noted their medication OxyContin accounts for less than 2 percent of the prescription opioid market in the country.
A spokesman for Janssen Pharmaceuticals said they “recognize opioid abuse is a serious public health,” but have always operated responsibly with their products.
A bipartisan group of attorneys general from Nevada, Massachusetts, Texas, Illinois and Pennsylvania announced June 15 they will probe marketing and sales practices used by pharmaceutical companies to distribute their painkillers. It is not yet clear how many states are involved in the investigation, but an official from Nevada said a majority of state attorneys general are participating.
Officials said they want to know “what role, if any,” drug makers played in causing the opioid epidemic, which claimed 33,000 lives in 2015. The New York Times recently culled through data from state health departments and county medical examiners and coroners, predicting there were between 59,000 and 65,000 drug deaths in 2016.
Officials in Ohio joined the group of states suing the major pharmaceutical companies May 31 for fueling the opioid epidemic by allegedly deceiving the public about addiction risks.

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Opioid Lawsuit

Jun 30, 2017 | KWON (OK)

By Ben Nicholas

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter has filed a lawsuit in Cleveland County against four of the nation’s leading manufacturers of opioid pain medication, claiming the effects of deceptive marketing campaigns over the last decade have fueled the state’s opioid epidemic.

The lawsuit states the four manufacturers worked with third parties, including those with influence in the medical community, to promote, market and sell opioids in the state. The four defendants are Purdue Pharma, Allergan, Cephalon and Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
Attorney General Hunter said these companies deceived and manipulated Oklahomans into believing opioids were safe for use over an extended period. Attorney General Hunter’s lawsuit seeks to hold these companies responsible for the catastrophic damages the state has suffered from the current public health crisis. Thousands have died and the State and Oklahoma Citizens have spent millions of dollars on unnecessary and excessive opioid prescriptions.
Former Oklahoma Federal Judge Michael Burrage will be lead attorney in the suit. Burrage is a native Oklahoman and past president of the Oklahoma Bar Association.
In numerous counts, the lawsuit alleges the companies violated Oklahoma’s Medicaid False Claims Act, the Consumer Protection Act and created a public nuisance.
The lawsuit claims companies knowingly presented false claims through marketing aimed at downplaying the risks of dependency on opioids and overstated the effectiveness of the drugs.
Attorney General Hunter is seeking the following in the case:
A declaration that the companies’ actions and practices violated state law;
An injunction against the companies to stop misrepresentations and false claims in the state;
Payment for damages and penalties caused by the defendants including: punitive, legal fees, Medicaid reimbursement and consumer reimbursement;
All other relief to which the state is entitled.

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Oklahoma AG Files Lawsuit Against Prescription Drug Companies

Jun 30, 2017 | KRMG (OK)

By Russell Mills

Friday, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter announced his office is suing four manufacturers of opioid-based prescription drugs.
Almost since the day he took office (replacing Scott Pruitt, who went on to become head of the EPA), Hunter has been very public about his concerns regarding the prescription opioid epidemic in Oklahoma.
In April, he announced a task force, set up under a legislative mandate, to study the problem and offer solutions.
Now, he’s taking on “big pharma” directly, alleging that the marketing practices used to sell the drugs are misleading, and essentially fraudulent.
In the years 1999 to 2015, the number of deaths in Oklahoma from prescription drug overdoses increased eightfold, according to the lawsuit.
It also says deaths from prescription overdose now outstrip the number from illegal drugs and alcohol, combined.
"The lawsuit claims the companies knowingly marketed their drugs as safe for chronic pain management while downplaying the risk of opioid dependency," Hunter said Friday.
Mississippi, Iowa, and Missouri have also sued pharmaceutical companies over their marketing practices, as have cities and counties in several other states, including California, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee and New York.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates some 33,000 Americans died in 2015 from opioid-related overdoses.

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Broadcast Coverage

KFOR NewsChannel 4 at Noon

Jun 30, 2017 | NBC Oklahoma City, OK

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Rough transcript: also today - efforts to hold some drug manufacturers accountable for the opioid epidemic. new at noon - legal action and allegations of deception.. oklahoma's news channel four was at this morning's press conference at the oklahoma attorney general's office. a-g mike hunter...says the lawsuit aims to hold these pharmaceutical companies accountable. because he claims these companies overhyped the benefits of opiates ... while downplaying or completely ignoring the addictive side-effects. so in this lawsuit ... hes asking for a few things: he wants them to acknowledge they broke oklahoma law he wants them to stop making false claims and he wants them to pay for the damage theyve caused. were talking about drugs here like oxycontin ... and the companies that produce them: purdue pharma, allergan, janssen, and cephalon. oklahoma becomes the fourth state to sue opioid companies this year. we believe these companies are culpable for the tragic, heartbreaking number of oklahomans who have become addicted or have died as a result of the opioid epidemic in our state. the state is hiring outside help ... bringing in former federal judge mike burridge to handle the lawsuit. for him he told us today ... its personal. he lost his niece to an opioid addiction a few years ago. the ag says it's another personal example of how far reaching this issue is.

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The News On 6 at Noon

Jun 30, 2017 | KOTV CBS OK

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Rough transcript: this just in, the oklahoma attorney general has mike hunter filed a lawsuit against four major opioid companies. hunter said the epidemic is out of control and that the companies have a long history of false advertising that's resulted in thousands of deaths. the four companies outlined in the lawsuit are purdue farma, allergen,cephalon and jansen pharmaceuticals. the suit is calling for the companies to pay back billions of dollars to the state. they have led to a generation of addicts, convicts and deaths he said. >> today, we begin a fight to hold these companies accountable, slow the opioid crisis gripping the state and build a healthier oklahoma. >> oklahoma is now the fourth state to file suit against opioid companies.

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FOX25 News at 11am

Jun 30, 2017 | Fox OKC

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Rough transcript: oklahoma attorney general announced the filing of a lawsuit against four of the nation's leading manufacturers of opioids. fox25 had a reporter at the news conference and join us with the details from the attorney general. what did you learn? >> emily: yes, hunter and former federal judge michael burris called the press conference, and the judge will be the lead council in the case. it was filed in cleveland county because of the fact that hunter said it is more representative of the overall oklahoma population. the four drug companies are said to be culpable for the tragic number of those in oklahoma addicted to opioids or lost their lives to opioid-related overdoses, primarily because they knowingly presented false claims through marketing and aimed at down playing the risk of dependency on opioids and overstated the effectiveness of the drugs. >> today we begin to hold the companies accountable and slow the opioid crisis gripping the state and build a healthy oklahoma. reporter: by filing the lawsuit, hunter is seeking a declaration that the company's actions violated state law. an injunction against the companies to stop misrepresentations and false claims, payment for the damages and penalties they caused, and all other relief to which the state is entitled. the goal is to get back billions to taxpayers for the treatment of opioid about. two, to change the way the companies are operating.

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