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Opioid Litigation Daily Media Report - 11/8/17

Wisconsin Counties Suit

Wisconsin lawsuit blames drug makers for opioid crisis
Nov 7, 2017 | AP
By Ivan Moreno

Nearly two dozen Wisconsin counties are suing makers of prescription painkillers, alleging in a federal lawsuit Tuesday that the companies' "nefarious and deceptive" marketing campaigns precipitated the nation's opioid overdose epidemic.
Wisconsin Lawsuits Blame Drug Makers For Opioid Crisis
Nov 7, 2017 | Wisconsin Public Radio (WI)
By Marylee Williams

Twenty-eight Wisconsin counties say in federal lawsuits that "nefarious and deceptive" marketing campaigns from pharmaceutical companies are responsible for the nation's opioid overdose epidemic.
28 Wisconsin counties sue drug makers, blaming them for opioid crisis
Nov 7, 2017 | WISN ABC (WI)
By Staff

Twenty-eight of Wisconsin's 72 counties on Tuesday filed a number of lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies, alleging they fraudulently marketed the prescription of opioids and are responsible for the nation's opioid overdose epidemic.
28 Wisconsin counties sue prescription drug makers to recover costs of fighting opioid epidemic
Nov 8, 2017 | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)
By Don Behm

More than one-third of all Wisconsin counties sued several pharmaceutical drug makers and physicians on Tuesday for fraudulent marketing of prescription painkillers that contributed to a nationwide public health crisis of opioid addiction and overdose deaths.
Chippewa County decides to join drug lawsuit
Nov 7, 2017 | Chippewa Herald (WI)
By Staff

Chippewa County is joining nearly two dozen counties in suing manufacturers of prescription painkillers to get back some of the money the county has spent in combating the opioid abuse epidemic.
Rock County joins lawsuit against drug companies
Nov 7, 2017 | Gazette Xtra (WI)
By Frank Schultz

Rock County is one of 28 counties hoping to win money in a federal lawsuit against manufacturers of opioid pain medications.
Wisconsin Counties File Lawsuit Against Pharmaceutical Companies
Nov 7, 2017 | WHBL (WI)
By Jon DeMaster

Nearly 30 Wisconsin counties are suing pharmaceutical companies over claims that they are partially responsible for the opioid epidemic in the country.
Chippewa County Board votes to join lawsuit against opioid makers
Nov 7, 2017 | WQOW (WI)
By Jason Boyd

Chippewa County will become the 29th county in Wisconsin to join a lawsuit against five major drug manufacturers.
28 Wisconsin counties sue drug makers, blaming them for opioid crisis
Nov 7, 2017 | WAOW (WI)
By Staff

Twenty-eight of Wisconsin's 72 counties on Tuesday filed a number of lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies, alleging they fraudulently marketed the prescription of opioids and are responsible for the nation's opioid overdose epidemic.

New Haven, CT Suit

New Haven sues Purdue Pharma, others over opioid crisis
Nov 7, 2017 | Stamford Advocate (CT)
By Paul Schott

Purdue Pharma was sued Tuesday by New Haven over what the city called deceptive marketing, which it blames for fueling the city’s epidemic of opioid abuse.
New Haven Files Suit Against Big Pharma for Allegedly Misleading Campaign to Promote Opioid Use
Nov 7, 2017 | Connecticut Law Tribune (CT)
By Robert Storace

New Haven filed a lawsuit Tuesday against some of the country’s largest pharmaceutical companies, claiming they’re behind a long-standing campaign to mislead the public about the dangers of prescription opioids.

Other Litigation Coverage

Dallas County to sue opioid makers, distributors
Nov 7, 2017 | Fox 4 Dallas (TX)
By Staff

Dallas County commissioners have hired three different law firms to sue the opioid industry to try to get back money spent on opioid overdoses and deaths.
Phoenix could sue drug companies for opioid crisis
Nov 7, 2017 | AZ Central (AZ)
By Jessica Boehm

A group of Phoenix leaders wants the city to follow a nationwide trend and take legal action against pharmaceutical companies that they believe are responsible for the nation's opioid epidemic.

Commentary and FYIs

How we got here: A history of the opiate epidemic
Nov 7, 2017 | Long Island Business News
By Claude Solnik

Pain is a perpetual problem, difficult to measure or defeat and sometimes chronic. But back in the 1990s, the fight to defeat pain shifted into gear with opiates as the main weapon.

Broadcast Media Coverage

News 8 This Morning
Nov 8, 2017 | WKBTD (CBS)
By La Crosse, WI

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573093?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
Good Morning Northland
Nov 8, 2017 | WDIO (ABC)
By Duluth, MN

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573105?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
Good Day Wisconsin
Nov 8, 2017 | WLUK (FOX)
By Green Bay, WI

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573108?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
Fox 61 Morning News
Nov 8, 2017 | WTIC (FOX)
By New Haven, CT

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573111?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
Fox 47 News at 9
Nov 7, 2017 | WMSN (FOX)
By Madison, WI

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573126?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
27 News at 6PM
Nov 8, 2017 | WKOW (ABC)
By Madison, WI

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573150?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
News 7 at 5
Nov 7, 2017 | WSAW (CBS)
By Wausau, WI

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573158?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
Action 2 News at Five
Nov 7, 2017 | WBAY (ABC)
By Green Bay, WI

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573170?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
FOX News at 4
Nov 7, 2017 | WZAWLD (FOX)
By Wausau, WI

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573175?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
TODAY'S TMJ4 News Live at 4:00
Nov 7, 2017 | WTMJ (NBC)
By Milwaukee, WI

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573181?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71

Wisconsin Counties Suit

Wisconsin lawsuit blames drug makers for opioid crisis

Nov 7, 2017 | AP

By Ivan Moreno

Nearly two dozen Wisconsin counties are suing makers of prescription painkillers, alleging in a federal lawsuit Tuesday that the companies' "nefarious and deceptive" marketing campaigns precipitated the nation's opioid overdose epidemic.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and says the county health and law enforcement services "have been strained to the breaking point" because of the overdose crisis that has claimed thousands of lives. More than two dozen states, cities and counties have filed similar lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies, accusing them of making false claims about the dangers of their drugs to make a profit.
"Defendants' goal was simple: to dramatically increase sales by convincing doctors that it was safe and efficacious to prescribe opioids to treat not only the kind of severe and short-term pain associated with surgery or cancer, but also for a seemingly unlimited array of less severe, longer-term pain, such as back pain and arthritis to name but two examples," the lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Wisconsin says.
Drug companies knew their "products were addictive, subject to abuse, and not safe or efficacious for long-term use," that lawsuit says. It names Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, Endo Health Solutions, Inc. and subsidiaries of the companies. Three doctors in California and Utah are also listed.
"We vigorously deny these allegations and look forward to the opportunity to present our defense," Purdue Pharma said in a statement that also said the company is "deeply troubled by the opioid crisis and we are dedicated to being part of the solution."
Endo Health Solutions said in a statement its "top priorities include patient safety and ensuring that patients with chronic pain have access to safe and effective therapeutic options" while preventing opioid abuse. It said it couldn't comment further on pending litigation. Johnson & Johnson said in a statement it had not yet received the counties' complaint but that the allegations in similar lawsuits are "legally and factually unfounded."
"Responsibly used opioid-based pain medicines give doctors and patients important choices to help manage the debilitating effects of chronic pain," the company's statement said. "At the same time, we recognize opioid abuse and addiction is a serious public health issue that must be addressed."
More than 52,000 Americans died in 2015 from drug overdoses, most of them involving prescription opioids or related illicit drugs such as fentanyl and heroin, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Wisconsin, 1,824 people died from opioid overdoses from 2013 to 2015, according to the lawsuit. One of the local governments taking legal action, Washington County, with a population of about 131,900, had 542 hospitalizations involving opioids last year, according to the lawsuit, and 70 opioid overdose deaths from 2013 to 2016.

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Wisconsin Lawsuits Blame Drug Makers For Opioid Crisis

Nov 7, 2017 | Wisconsin Public Radio (WI)

By Marylee Williams

Twenty-eight Wisconsin counties say in federal lawsuits that "nefarious and deceptive" marketing campaigns from pharmaceutical companies are responsible for the nation's opioid overdose epidemic.
Separate lawsuits were filed Tuesday on behalf of individual counties, but Charles Crueger, with Crueger Dickinson LLC, one of the law firms representing the counties, said the lawsuits will, "almost certainly be consolidated" and heard in front of one judge.
The lawsuits claim local governments' health and law enforcement services "have been strained to the breaking point" because of widespread opioid abuse. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages from Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, Endo Health Solutions, Inc. and subsidiaries of the companies.
Erin Dickinson, a partner at Crueger Dickinson LLC, said it's amazing how the opioid epidemic impacts so many services on the county level, ranging from child protective services to law enforcement.
"There almost is not a service that the counties provide that is not affected by this in a dramatic way, especially over the last four to five years," Dickinson said.
While Dickinson hopes the lawsuits can change conduct and reimburse the counties, she also said she hopes, "to stem the tide, and this opioid crisis doesn't stop with the filing of this lawsuit. There has to be programs put in place to stop it going forward."
More than two dozen states, cities and counties have filed similar lawsuits accusing pharmaceutical companies of making false claims about the dangers of their drugs to make a profit.
Washington County Board Chairman Rick Gundrum said he's confident the legal action will pan out.
"It’s a good chance there could be a nationwide effort with counties all across the United States involved in this action, and numbers speak volumes," Gundrum said.
Purdue Pharma said in a statement it "vigorously" denies the allegations and said it is "deeply troubled" by the opioid epidemic:
"We are deeply troubled by the opioid crisis and we are dedicated to being part of the solution. As a company grounded in science, we must balance patient access to FDA-approved medicines, while working collaboratively to solve this public health challenge. Although our products account for approximately 2 percent of the total opioid prescriptions, as a company, we’ve distributed the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, developed the first FDA-approved opioid medication with abuse-deterrent properties and partner with law enforcement to ensure access to naloxone. We vigorously deny these allegations and look forward to the opportunity to present our defense."
Endo Health Solutions says it can't comment on pending litigation.
When asked for comment, Johnson & Johnson referred questions to an affiliated company, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. A Janssen spokesman said in a statement:
"We have yet to receive the Counties’ complaint. However, we believe the allegations in similar lawsuits against our company are both legally and factually unfounded. Janssen has acted in the best interests of patients and physicians with regard to its opioid pain medicines, which are FDA-approved and carry FDA-mandated warnings about possible risks on every product label."
The statement added that the company recognizes "opioid abuse and addiction is a serious public health issue that must be addressed," and called for "collaboration" to address the issue.

Wisconsin taxpayers aren't footing the bill for litigation because the law firms representing the counties are covering the costs. If the counties win, they are asking the defendants to cover several things, including damages for the counties, and for "costs and attorney fees."

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28 Wisconsin counties sue drug makers, blaming them for opioid crisis

Nov 7, 2017 | WISN ABC (WI)

By Staff

Twenty-eight of Wisconsin's 72 counties on Tuesday filed a number of lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies, alleging they fraudulently marketed the prescription of opioids and are responsible for the nation's opioid overdose epidemic.
The five lawsuits say local governments' health and law enforcement services "have been strained to the breaking point" because of widespread opioid abuse.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages from Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, Endo Health Solutions, Inc. and subsidiaries of the companies.
Representatives from Adams, Columbia, Door, Douglas, Eau Claire, Florence, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Oconto, Oneida, Pierce, Price, Rock, Rusk, Sauk, Shawano, Sheboygan, Washburn, Washington, Waupaca and Wood counties gathered in West Bend to discuss the lawsuits.
Attorney Erin Dickinson with the Milwaukee-based law firm of Creuger Dickinson said she expects "dozens more" counties to sign on to the suits in the coming months but said the process was starting now with this "first wave" of counties because of the urgency needed to fight the crisis.
More than two dozen states, cities and counties have filed similar lawsuits accusing pharmaceutical companies of making false claims about the dangers of their drugs to make a profit.

Purdue Pharma said in a statement it "vigorously" denies the allegations. Johnson & Johnson and Endo Health Solutions did not immediately respond to an email asking for comment.

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28 Wisconsin counties sue prescription drug makers to recover costs of fighting opioid epidemic

Nov 8, 2017 | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)

By Don Behm

More than one-third of all Wisconsin counties sued several pharmaceutical drug makers and physicians on Tuesday for fraudulent marketing of prescription painkillers that contributed to a nationwide public health crisis of opioid addiction and overdose deaths.
Separate lawsuits filed by 28 counties in the eastern federal district court in Wisconsin seek compensation for millions of dollars in costs of social services, law enforcement and emergency care in responding to the opioids epidemic in each of the counties.
The companies created a public nuisance through a deceptive marketing campaign that misrepresents the safety of long-term opioid use, according to the lawsuits.
Those counties join a growing number of more than two dozen states, cities and counties around the U.S. that already have filed lawsuits attempting to hold pharmaceutical drug makers and distributors accountable for bad faith business practices and misrepresentation in marketing of opioids.
Milwaukee County is in the process of hiring legal experts to prepare its own lawsuits against opioid makers and distributors.
The national scale of the epidemic is well documented in the lawsuits filed by the 28 Wisconsin counties: Americans consume more than 80% of all opioids produced globally; in 2010, 20% of all U.S. doctors' visits resulted in a prescription for an opioid; by 2014, nearly 2 million Americans either abused or were dependent on opioids; more than 40 people die every day from overdoses involving prescription opioids and the death total stands at 200,000 or more since 1999.
In 2015 alone, more than 31,000 U.S. residents died from opioid overdoses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The rate of opioid overdose deaths in Wisconsin nearly doubled, from 5.9 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2006 to 10.7 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2015, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Health Services. Opioid-related hospital visits in Wisconsin, which include both inpatient hospitalizations and emergency department visits, have doubled over the last decade. In 2015, there were nearly six hospital stays involving opioids for every death involving opioids.
The 28 counties filing lawsuits Tuesday span the breadth of the state, from Sheboygan and Door counties on the east to Florence and Douglas on the north, and Pierce on the western border. Each of the lawsuits was filed by a team of lawyers from Crueger Dickinson LLC in Whitefish Bay and Simmons Hanly Conroy LLC in New York City.
The defendants in the lawsuit are: Purdue Pharma L.P.; Purdue Pharma, Inc.; The Purdue Frederick Company, Inc.; Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.; Cephalon, Inc.; Johnson & Johnson; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Janssen Pharmaceutica, Inc.; Endo Health Solutions Inc.; Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Perry Fine of Utah; Scott Fishman of California; and Lynn Webster of Utah.
The physicians allegedly were "instrumental in promoting opioids for sale and distribution nationally," and in Wisconsin, according to the lawsuits.
Purdue Pharma is the maker of OxyContin and Dilaudid. Endo Pharmaceuticals is the maker of Percocet and Percodan. Janssen Pharmaceuticals makes a fentanyl skin patch. Cephalon makes a fentanyl lozenge. Fentanyl is a pain medication 50 times more powerful than heroin.
The Milwaukee County lawsuits will attempt to recover some of the millions of dollars the county has spent on programs and services aimed at curbing the opioid crisis locally, according to Corporation Counsel Margaret Daun.

The Milwaukee County medical examiner estimates there will be more than 325 opioid overdose deaths in the county this year. As of Oct. 27, the medical examiner had confirmed a total of 309 overdose deaths from all drugs including opioids and heroin.

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Chippewa County decides to join drug lawsuit

Nov 7, 2017 | Chippewa Herald (WI)

By Staff

Chippewa County is joining nearly two dozen counties in suing manufacturers of prescription painkillers to get back some of the money the county has spent in combating the opioid abuse epidemic.
The Chippewa County Board voted on a 9-4 vote on Tuesday to join the lawsuit, which is supported by the Wisconsin Counties Association.
Not all supervisors thought it was a good idea. “This is like suing a gun manufacturer. This is stupid,” Supervisor Tom Thornton said. He said he would rather sue doctors who wrote the prescriptions that are being abused by people.
Thornton was among the four supervisors opposing the measure. Others were Dean Gullickson, Leigh Darrow and Larry Willkom.
Supervisor Kari Ives, a substance abuse counselor, said the lawsuit would be part of the solution to the crisis. It’s an important thing to support,” she said, but noted in our area methamphetamines is a larger problem.
Supervisor Florian Skwierczynski said the lawsuit is a great opportunity for the county to recover some of its costs.
Both Polk and Green Lake County have voted against the resolution, although Polk County will reconsider that vote next week, Corporation Counsel James Sherman said.
“The societal costs associated with the opioid epidemic are staggering and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, amount to over $75 billion annually,” says the resolution passed by the County Board.
“(The) county has spent millions in unexpected and unbudgeted time and resources in its programs and services related to the rise of the opioid epidemic,” the resolution said. “All sums that the county expends in addressing, combating and otherwise dealing with the opioid epidemic are sums that can not be used for other critical programs and services that the county provides to county citizens, residents and visitors.”
The resolution says the main cost to Chippewa County to be part of the lawsuit will be staff time gathering records, complying with information requests and determining just how much the opioid epidemic has cost the county. The resolution does not break down where any money will go within the county if the counties win the lawsuit.
“Defendants’ goal was simple: to dramatically increase sales by convincing doctors that it was safe and efficacious to prescribe opioids to treat not only the kind of severe and short-term pain associated with surgery or cancer, but also for a seemingly unlimited array of less severe, longer-term pain, such as back pain and arthritis to name but two examples,” the lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Wisconsin says.
Drug companies knew their “products were addictive, subject to abuse, and not safe or efficacious for long-term use,” that lawsuit says. It names Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, Endo Health Solutions Inc. and subsidiaries of the companies. Three doctors in California and Utah are also listed.
“We vigorously deny these allegations and look forward to the opportunity to present our defense,” Purdue Pharma said in a statement that also said the company is “deeply troubled by the opioid crisis and we are dedicated to being part of the solution.”
Endo Health Solutions said in a statement its “top priorities include patient safety and ensuring that patients with chronic pain have access to safe and effective therapeutic options” while preventing opioid abuse. It said it couldn’t comment further on pending litigation. Johnson & Johnson said in a statement it had not yet received the counties’ complaint but that the allegations in similar lawsuits are “legally and factually unfounded.”
“Responsibly used opioid-based pain medicines give doctors and patients important choices to help manage the debilitating effects of chronic pain,” the company’s statement said. “At the same time, we recognize opioid abuse and addiction is a serious public health issue that must be addressed.”
More than 52,000 Americans died in 2015 from drug overdoses, most of them involving prescription opioids or related illicit drugs such as fentanyl and heroin, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Wisconsin, 1,824 people died from opioid overdoses from 2013 to 2015, according to the lawsuit. One of the local governments taking legal action, Washington County, with a population of about 131,900, had 542 hospitalizations involving opioids last year, according to the lawsuit, and 70 opioid overdose deaths from 2013 to 2016.
Eau Claire County is also participating in the lawsuit.In other action
The board approved a tax levy of $18,728,228. The board approved the 2018 county budget last Thursday. Another resolution approved by the board authorized taking out $2.1 million in general obligation refunding bonds. The levy passed on an 8-5 vote, with Supervisors Jared Zwiefelhofer, Gullickson, Willkom, Ives and Darrow voting against.
The board received an update on the West Central Wisconsin Community Development Block Grant program. Federal money is funneled through the state to small municipalities. Chippewa County is the lead county for a 10-county area, including Barron, Buffalo, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pepin, Pierce, Polk and St. Croix. The city of Eau Claire within Chippewa and Eau Claire county is excluded from the regional program. The County Board approved a resolution on a 13-0 vote to apply for block grant funds for housing projects in the counties. Participants in the housing program must have incomes of 80 percent or below their county’s median income.
A donation of a 3.7 acre parcel from the Larson Cottage Partnership to add to the Round Lake Special County Forest unit was approved on a 13-0 vote by the board. The property is subdivided from a 12.2 acre parcel. The 3.7 acres has a fair market value of between $20,000 to $25,000.
The county’s Executive Committee will meet in a session closed to the public at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, to hear an update on applications for the county administrator positions. The county is looking for a replacement for County Administrator Frank Pascarella who is scheduled to leave next month. The committee’s meeting will be in room 302 of the courthouse at 711 N. Bridge St., Chippewa Falls.
Supervisor Matt Hartman was absent from Thursday’s meeting. Supervisor Chuck Hull spent 20 minutes at the county meeting before leaving. Hull is also a member of the Chippewa Falls City Council, which was meeting for much of the same time the County Board was in session.

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Rock County joins lawsuit against drug companies

Nov 7, 2017 | Gazette Xtra (WI)

By Frank Schultz

Rock County is one of 28 counties hoping to win money in a federal lawsuit against manufacturers of opioid pain medications.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in the Eastern District of Wisconsin alleges certain drug companies engaged in “nefarious and deceptive” marketing that caused the nation’s opioid overdose epidemic.
The Rock County Board voted by acclamation Oct. 12 to join the lawsuit.
County board Chairman Russ Podzilni said the law firms representing the counties will pay the costs of the lawsuit, while Rock County’s only cost might be staff time to review documents.
The law firms will not be paid unless the county receives a financial benefit, Podzilni said.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages. It says the counties’ health and law-enforcement services “have been strained to the breaking point” because of the overdose crisis that has claimed thousands of lives.
Rock County hospitals encountered opioid poisoning 102 times between 2012 and 2014, but that skyrocketed to 988 in 2016, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also states at least 68 people died of opiate overdoses in Rock County between 2013 and 2015, while 33 died in 2016 alone.
More than two dozen states, cities and counties have filed similar lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies, accusing them of making false claims about the dangers of their drugs to make a profit.
The Rock County Board resolution says the county has spent millions of dollars in unexpected and unbudgeted time and resources for services related to the opioid epidemic.
Providing those services becomes more costly every year, “yet (the) county’s ability to generate revenue is limited by strict levy limit caps and stagnant or declining state and federal aid,” the resolution states.
The drug companies aimed “to dramatically increase sales by convincing doctors that it was safe and efficacious to prescribe opioids to treat not only the kind of severe and short-term pain associated with surgery or cancer, but also for a seemingly unlimited array of less severe, longer-term pain, such as back pain and arthritis to name but two examples,” the lawsuit says.
Drug companies knew their “products were addictive, subject to abuse, and not safe or efficacious for long-term use,” the lawsuit says. It names Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, Endo Health Solutions and subsidiaries of the companies. Three doctors in California and Utah also are listed.
“We vigorously deny these allegations and look forward to the opportunity to present our defense,” Purdue Pharma said in a statement that also said the company is “deeply troubled by the opioid crisis and we are dedicated to being part of the solution.”
Endo Health Solutions said in a statement its “top priorities include patient safety and ensuring that patients with chronic pain have access to safe and effective therapeutic options” while preventing opioid abuse. It said it couldn’t comment further on pending litigation.
Johnson & Johnson said in a statement it had not yet received the counties’ complaint but that the allegations in similar lawsuits are “legally and factually unfounded.”
“Responsibly used opioid-based pain medicines give doctors and patients important choices to help manage the debilitating effects of chronic pain,” the company’s statement said. “At the same time, we recognize opioid abuse and addiction is a serious public health issue that must be addressed.”
Easy access to the drugs led to addictions, which in turn led to heroin use for many who found the street drug cheaper and easier to procure, police and health authorities have said in recent years.
More than 52,000 Americans died in 2015 from drug overdoses, most of them involving prescription opioids or related illicit drugs such as fentanyl and heroin, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In Wisconsin, 1,824 people died from opioid overdoses from 2013 to 2015, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit describes a huge marketing campaign that aimed to convince doctors the drugs were safe.
“As a result, Rock County doctors began prescribing opioids long term to treat chronic pain—something that most never would have considered prior to the defendants’ campaign,” the lawsuit states.
Podzilni said it was important for Rock County to join the lawsuit because of what happened with a similar lawsuit against tobacco companies around the turn of the century.
The state told counties at the time that the state would file the lawsuit and share the proceeds, Podzilni said, but the counties got nothing.
“We didn’t have a seat at the table, and we got screwed,” Podzilni said.
“Now we have a seat at the table, so anything that might come from this would come to the counties that back this,” he added.
It was important to file the lawsuit now because the state could have started its own lawsuit, freezing the counties out, Podzilni said.
There’s still time for other counties to join the lawsuit, Podzilni said.
Neighboring Green and Jefferson counties have joined the suit, but Dane and Walworth have not, according to a news release from one of the law firms representing the counties, Crueger Dickinson of Whitefish Bay.
Also on the counties’ side is the high-powered firm of Simmons Hanly Conroy of New York and Illinois.
State Attorney General Brad Schimel announced in June that his office was working with attorneys general around the country “in an ongoing investigation to evaluate whether pharmaceutical manufacturers have engaged in unlawful practices in the marketing and sale of opioids ... to determine the appropriate course of legal action to address the ongoing opioid epidemic.”

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Wisconsin Counties File Lawsuit Against Pharmaceutical Companies

Nov 7, 2017 | WHBL (WI)

By Jon DeMaster

Nearly 30 Wisconsin counties are suing pharmaceutical companies over claims that they are partially responsible for the opioid epidemic in the country. The federal lawsuits filed yesterday accuse the drug-makers of fraudulently marketing prescription painkillers. The counties want compensation for the millions of dollars spent on social services, law enforcement and emergency care in responding to cases related to the opioid epidemic.

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Chippewa County Board votes to join lawsuit against opioid makers

Nov 7, 2017 | WQOW (WI)

By Jason Boyd

Chippewa County will become the 29th county in Wisconsin to join a lawsuit against five major drug manufacturers.
The county board of supervisors voted nine to four to join the lawsuit Tuesday. Eau Claire County is already part of the class-action case, led by the Wisconsin Counties Association. They claim the drug companies misled the public and the medical community on the dangers of opioids. They believe they are responsible for the epidemic that has been felt throughout Wisconsin. The counties are hoping to recoup some of the cost of the epidemic, from treatment programs to emergency overdose responses.
Members who voted against the resolution had different reasons: some believed they didn't have enough information, while one said it would be like going after gun manufacturers for making guns. Most thought is was a step in the right direction.
“We really need the drug companies to be more honest with the people they are selling it to. To really know the pros and the cons,” Chippewa County Board Supervisor Kari Ives told News 18. "I felt like the drug companies know what they are doing. I mean opioids are a form of heroin, so I think this was a positive step in the right direction,” Ives explained.
The next step is for the county to submit the paperwork to formally join the lawsuit.

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28 Wisconsin counties sue drug makers, blaming them for opioid crisis

Nov 7, 2017 | WAOW (WI)

By Staff

Twenty-eight of Wisconsin's 72 counties on Tuesday filed a number of lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies, alleging they fraudulently marketed the prescription of opioids and are responsible for the nation's opioid overdose epidemic.
The five lawsuits say local governments' health and law enforcement services "have been strained to the breaking point" because of widespread opioid abuse.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages from Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, Endo Health Solutions, Inc. and subsidiaries of the companies.
Representatives from Adams, Columbia, Door, Douglas, Eau Claire, Florence, Fond du Lac, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Oconto, Oneida, Pierce, Price, Rock, Rusk, Sauk, Shawano, Sheboygan, Washburn, Washington, Waupaca and Wood counties gathered in West Bend to discuss the lawsuits.
Attorney Erin Dickinson with the Milwaukee-based law firm of Creuger Dickinson said she expects "dozens more" counties to sign on to the suits in the coming months but said the process was starting now with this "first wave" of counties because of the urgency needed to fight the crisis.
More than two dozen states, cities and counties have filed similar lawsuits accusing pharmaceutical companies of making false claims about the dangers of their drugs to make a profit.
Purdue Pharma said in a statement it "vigorously" denies the allegations. Johnson & Johnson and Endo Health Solutions did not immediately respond to an email asking for comment.

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New Haven, CT Suit

New Haven sues Purdue Pharma, others over opioid crisis

Nov 7, 2017 | Stamford Advocate (CT)

By Paul Schott

Purdue Pharma was sued Tuesday by New Haven over what the city called deceptive marketing, which it blames for fueling the city’s epidemic of opioid abuse.
The new allegations parallel those in a number of other lawsuits filed this year by state and local officials around the country arguing Stamford-based Purdue, which makes the top-selling prescription opioid OxyContin, and other pharmaceutical companies are largely responsible for the burgeoning number of deaths and escalating costs from the national opioid crisis.
New Haven’s complaint also names as defendants the drug manufacturers Teva Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Endo Pharmaceuticals and Insys Therapeutics, as well as wholesale distributors including McKesson Corp., AmerisourceBergen Corp. and Cardinal Health.
“This plague that has been visited on this city and on countless other towns and cities and their citizens must be forcefully defended so that lives are saved and families are protected against the heartbreak caused by opioid addiction,” John Rose Jr., corporation counsel for New Haven, said in a statement.
Purdue denied the allegations and said it is committed to tackling opioid abuse, as it re-issued the same statement it has made following other lawsuits.
“We are deeply troubled by the opioid crisis, and we are dedicated to being part of the solution,” the statement said. “As a company grounded in science, we must balance patient access to FDA-approved medicines, while working collaboratively to solve this public health challenge.”
The lawsuit accuses opioid makers such as Purdue of working to deceive doctors and patients — including groups such as senior citizens and war veterans — about the addictive risks of opioids and their appropriateness for chronic pain management.
The lawsuit seeks compensation for New Haven’s “exorbitant” costs for social and human services and increased expenditures for additional first-responder services to respond to growing opioid abuse.
With 70 deaths in 2016, New Haven ranked second in the state in the number who died of opioid-related causes, according to a press release from Scott+Scott, the Connecticut-based law firm that filed the lawsuit on the city’s behalf. Statewide, 917 people died in 2016 of fatal drug overdoses, about a 20 percent increase from the toll in 2015. Most of those cases involved opioids.
“The pharmaceutical industry is behind one of the greatest and most tragic epidemics facing cities like New Haven,” David Scott, managing partner of Scott+Scott, said in a statement. “Our firm’s roots are in Connecticut, and I could not be more honored to represent New Haven as it takes on the industry on behalf of its community and the families torn apart by the opioid epidemic.”
New Haven’s lawsuit follows similar litigation filed in August against Purdue and other drugmakers by the city of Waterbury. A number of other nearby municipalities, including Bridgeport, agreed to join the complaint.

Last week, the states of Alaska and New Jersey sued Purdue. Other recent lawsuits against Purdue have been filed by the states of Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Washington.

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New Haven Files Suit Against Big Pharma for Allegedly Misleading Campaign to Promote Opioid Use

Nov 7, 2017 | Connecticut Law Tribune (CT)

By Robert Storace

New Haven filed a lawsuit Tuesday against some of the country’s largest pharmaceutical companies, claiming they’re behind a long-standing campaign to mislead the public about the dangers of prescription opioids.
The lawsuit, which comes nine weeks after Waterbury filed a similar claim, seeks compensation for New Haven for the costs incurred by the opioid crisis, such as burdens placed on the city’s first responders and social services.
The lawsuit claims opioid manufacturers have published misleading articles in medical journals, including publications aimed at doctors who commonly treat chronic pain or that encourage the use of opioids to treat chronic pain, and sponsor continuing medical education courses that persuade doctors that opioids posed no serious threat of addiction.
“The pharmaceutical industry is behind one of the greatest and most tragic epidemics facing cities like New Haven. I could not be more honored to represent New Haven as it takes on the industry on behalf of its community and the families torn apart by the opioid epidemic,” said David Scott, managing partner of Scott+Scott, the law firm representing New Haven.
The lawsuit targets prescription drug manufacturers Purdue Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Endo Pharmaceuticals and Insys Therapeutics. It also names a number of wholesale distributors, including McKesson Corp., AmerisourceBergen Corp., and Cardinal Health.
In an emailed statement, Purdue Pharma public affairs director John Puskar wrote: “We are deeply troubled by the opioid crisis and we are dedicated to being part of the solution. As a company grounded in science, we must balance patient access to FDA-approved medicines, while working collaboratively to solve this public health challenge. Although our products account for approximately 2% of the total opioid prescriptions, as a company, we’ve distributed the Center for Disease Control Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, developed the first FDA-approved opioid medication with abuse-deterrent properties and partner with law enforcement to ensure access to naloxone. We vigorously deny these allegations and look forward to the opportunity to present our defense.”
As of late Tuesday, media representatives from the other companies did not respond to a request for comment.

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Other Litigation Coverage

Dallas County to sue opioid makers, distributors

Nov 7, 2017 | Fox 4 Dallas (TX)

By Staff

Dallas County commissioners have hired three different law firms to sue the opioid industry to try to get back money spent on opioid overdoses and deaths.
The lawsuit will name multiple prescription painkiller manufacturers and distributors. It will accuse them of fueling a nationwide opioid addiction epidemic and allege the makers inflated the benefits of the drugs while downplaying the dangerous addictive risks.
“We're gonna go after these drug distributors that conspired and lied to push opioids out on to patients with a lie that when you’re injured you can take opioids and you won’t get addicted,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. “The reality is we know that’s not true, this is a worse drug epidemic than anything street pushers devised. It’s cost people their lives, it’s cost taxpayers a whole lot of money primarily through Parkland and we're going to go after these people and get their money back,”
The Tarrant County District Attorney has asked her commissioners to contract with outside counsel for a similarly-styled lawsuit.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has added Texas to a 41 state investigation of companies that manufacture or sell opioids.

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Phoenix could sue drug companies for opioid crisis

Nov 7, 2017 | AZ Central (AZ)

By Jessica Boehm

A group of Phoenix leaders wants the city to follow a nationwide trend and take legal action against pharmaceutical companies that they believe are responsible for the nation's opioid epidemic.
Mayor Greg Stanton and councilwomen Thelda Williams and Debra Stark sent a letter to City Manager Ed Zuercher on Tuesday detailing how the opioid crisis has "created an incredible strain" on the city's public safety personnel.
Stanton, Williams and Stark blame the rapid increase in opioid-related deaths across the country on pharmaceutical manufactures and distributors that launched a "fraudulent marketing campaign that minimized the risks of opioids."
"Pharmaceutical companies are making billions while people suffer and families are torn apart, while governments shoulder the burden at every level," the letter states.
The full council will vote on whether to take legal action against these companies at a formal meeting next week. If approved, Phoenix will join several other cities, like Chicago and Indianapolis, taking on massive drug companies in court.
More than 500 Arizonans have died a suspected opioid-related death since June 15, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services.
In June, Gov. Doug Ducey declared the opioid epidemic a public-health emergencyand last month President Donald Trump made a similar declaration for the entire country.
In their letter, Stanton, Williams and Stark detail some of the costs the city bears because of the opioid crisis: All fire department vehicles carry naloxone, a drug that can reverse an opioid overdose. Police detectives devote additional time to drug calls. Jail costs and homelessness are on the rise.
"Make no mistake: These examples barely scratch the surface of how our community has been affected," the letter states.
The mayor and council members suggested that any proceeds secured through the lawsuit be used to equip first responders with tools to respond to the opioid crisis and help addicts. They did not specify which pharmaceutical companies would be targeted in the lawsuit or how much they would seek in damages.
“These companies have put huge profits before telling the truth, and their behavior is directly responsible for stunning rises in opioid addiction that destroys lives, tears apart families and burdens taxpayers at every level,” Stanton said in a statement.
A spokeswoman for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, an association that represents biopharmaceutical research companies, would not comment on potential litigation.
In September, PhRMA president and CEO Stephen J. Ubl announced the group would support policies limiting the opioid prescriptions to seven days for acute pain treatment.
“Appropriate script limits, when combined with improved prescriber education and better coverage of treatment alternatives, can help ensure proper prescribing and reduce the risk of abuse. Given the scope and scale of this crisis, we believe this is the right thing to do," Ubl said in a statement.

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Commentary and FYIs

How we got here: A history of the opiate epidemic

Nov 7, 2017 | Long Island Business News

By Claude Solnik

Pain is a perpetual problem, difficult to measure or defeat and sometimes chronic. But back in the 1990s, the fight to defeat pain shifted into gear with opiates as the main weapon.
“The use of narcotic medications to treat pain became prevalent,” Bruce Goldman, director of substance abuse services at Zucker Hillside Hospital, said. “A lot of people were assigned large doses with very little restrictions or concerns.”
Much of the opiate epidemic, in other words, came out of not a war on drugs, but a war on pain. The problem was born from doctors’ prescriptions as much as out drug dealers’ business. While heroin remained illegal, the marketing and prescription of legal opiates caught on.
“It’s the biggest [epidemic] and one that began within the healthcare system,” said Jon Morgenstern, director of addiction services for Northwell Health’s Center for Addiction Services and Psychotherapy Intervention Research. “That’s never happened.”
There was a concerted effort to tame pain: In the 1990s the federal government even rated hospitals from one to five smiley faces to evaluate how they handled pain.
“Pain is subjective,” Linda Ventura, founder of Thomas’ Hope Foundation, said. “Pain medication was overprescribed.”
Morgenstern also believes the Joint Commission’s decision to evaluate hospitals based on how pain was handled, while well intentioned, opened a Pandora’s box.
“They made one of those criteria pain, ” he said of the federal government’s evaluation of hospitals. “To ensure that hospitals and physicians adequately address pain. That was a really problematic rule. Pain is subjective.”
Morgenstern says physicians were instructed to prescribe opiates as the prevailing standard of care. If you didn’t prescribe pills, which generated huge profits for pharmaceutical companies, you declined at your own risk.
“Physicians were told they needed to make sure their patients, if in pain, were given medication,” he said. “That medication was opiates. I have a lot of colleagues who are primary care physicians who were told this. They said they knew this would create problems.”
Opiates were being dispensed in larger and larger amounts by physicians and hospitals, who Morgenstern said were
“The criteria for accreditation and patient satisfaction, which you’re graded on, was if a patient comes in and is in pain, you give him this medication,” he said.
While some physicians expressed concerns, those were drowned out by arguments that opiates, far from addicting America, were lessening its pain.
Pharmaceutical representatives educated physicians, insisting that opioids weren’t addictive, assuring them there was no reason for that concern.
“I know people who were talking about this in the 1990s,” Ventura said. “They were sold a bill of goods from a pharmaceutical company. I still blame them. They should know better.”
The Food and Drug Administration approved a procession of opiates, fueling a new epidemic that would flood the market.
Much the way some argue people’s decisions, not guns, kill, the argument developed over whether addiction or simply abuse was the problem. But the priority, at least in the 1990s, was fighting pain, even if it meant the proliferation of pills.
“Some of that was driven by the government stepping in, saying everyone should be pain free,” Dr. Jay Enden, regional medical director for Northwell Health, said of the prevalence of pain medication. “If you don’t make people pain-free, you’re not doing a good job.”
Morgenstern said there was some truth to the need for more focus on pain, but this was soon seized on as a massive medical marketing opportunity.
“The concern was that pain was undertreated,” Morgenstern said. “There was an opportunity that the pharmaceutical industry exploited and lied about.”
Pharmaceutical companies looked for data to fuel drug sales, reaching out to academia, but sometimes with strings attached. Purdue Pharma, Morgenstern said, sought to have research done at Columbia University regarding oxycodone. But the firm, he said, sought to have the right to review results.
“They really wanted to sell a lot of oxycodone,” Morgenstern said of Purdue in the 1990s. “When I was at Columbia, they came to us. They were worried even then that there might be issues related to oxycodone. They wanted to give us money to do research. We refused it. They weren’t going to let us do an independent study. They wanted to review.”
Pain accompanied so many things from surgery to cancer, car accidents to wisdom tooth revival that opiate sales soared . They were being prescribed with abandon, as they became the darling of drug companies, swelling earnings and letting doctors dispense pills to dismiss discomfort.
“There was a great partnership, let me put it that way,” Ventura said. “Doctors were overprescribing for happy faces. They were given research that these drugs were not addictive.”
Meanwhile, doctors who wanted good grades from patients were happy to prescribe large amounts of pain killers, just in case people needed them. People weren’t given minimal, but rather larger, amounts.
“What that did was move people in the medical profession to overprescribe,” Enden continued of the climate of the time, noting that the government eventually ended the grading of pain treatment as a prime measure of hospitals. “The government pulled that out of the patient satisfaction scorecards. They realized a secondary effect was more opiates in the system.”
The backlash began as concerns began to change the discussion to one over the dangers and damages of approving opiates.
A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee recommended against approving Xohydro, which the FDA promptly approved.
“That’s the lobbyists,” Ventura said. “You think your congressman and senator are not being bothered every day.”
But as the death toll, and cost for government through Medicaid and Medicare grew, pharmaceutical companies came under fire.
Purdue Pharma settled suits in various states. But physicians continued to use various opiates as the go-to treatment for nearly every type of pain.
Lately, the FDA has been taking a second look at whether some of these drugs do more damage than good.
The FDA’s Drug Safety Risk Management and Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committees in May concluded that the benefits of opioid pain medication Opana ER (oxymorphone hydrochloride extended release) did not outweigh public health risks.
The pain these painkillers cause, more than the profit and benefit they provide, was in the spotlight. Against the backdrop of an opiate epidemic, the FDA took action.
The agency in June ordered Endo International to remove the drug from the market due to opioid abuse. Endo International in July stopped selling Opana ER.
Endo expects to incur a $20 million pre-tax impairment charge in the second quarter of 2017 to write-off the remaining book value of this drug. Sales of the drug were $158.9 million for 2016 and $35.7 million for the first quarter of 2017.
But the costs for opiate makers could be far higher, as states and counties look toward litigation to make up for massive medical costs from drug abuse – that may be linked to improper drug marketing and the downplaying of addiction.
Forty-one attorneys general have demanded information and documents from opiate manufacturers to see whether the firms broke laws in marketing and distributing prescription opioids.
“Too often, prescription opioids are the on-ramp to addiction for millions of Americans,” Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said. “We’re committed to getting to the bottom of a broken system that has fueled the epidemic.”
The attorneys general served subpoenas on pharmaceutical firms Endo International, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Allergan. They also demanded documents from distributors such as AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson.
Opioid distributors make nearly $500 billion a year in revenue, according to Schneiderman. Pain had gone from a problem to an industry.
Many counties in New York State, including Nassau and Suffolk, are suing piate makers, blaming them for massive medical costs.
The suits, being consolidated, charge that the makers used deceptive marketing practices to essentially hook millions of people on pain medications.
“We know this will be a long battle, but we look forward to fighting for the residents of our state,” Salvatore Badala, an attorney at Napoli Shkolnik in Melville, filing suits on behalf of Nassau, Suffolk and many other counties, said.
Paul Napoli, co-counsel at Napoli Shkolnik, said the counties are joining to “fight the epidemic against the manufacturers.”
“The staggering number in that is that three out of four new heroin users start with prescription opiates,” Enden said. “From a medical standpoint, we must reduce the degree to which we prescribe opiates.”
There’s now a call for physicians to prescribe medications that are not opiates, recognizing and relying more on other options.
“We need better alternatives for pain than we have available,” Morgenstern said. “Physicians need to be better educated about how to make that balance between pain and whether and how much opiate prescriptions they need and other alternatives.”

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Broadcast Media Coverage

News 8 This Morning

Nov 8, 2017 | WKBTD (CBS)

By La Crosse, WI

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573093?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
Rough Transcript: 28 counties in wisconsin are now suing drugmakers over the opioid epidemic. jackson... adams... eau claire... and grant counties are all part of the lawsuit... which was filed in federal court yesterday. counties are seeking unspecified monetary damages from purdue pharma... johnson andjohnson... and endo health solutions, incorporated. the lawsuit claims "nefarious an deceptive" marketing campaigns are to blame for the opioidproblem in this country. in statements... purdue pharma' and johnson and johnson' deny the allegations. representatives of endo health solutions' say it's against policy to comment on current litigation.

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Good Morning Northland

Nov 8, 2017 | WDIO (ABC)

By Duluth, MN

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573105?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
Rough Transcript: douglas county is one of more than one-third of the state s counties suing drug companies for the deadly opioid epidemic. a federal lawsuit says these counties are alleging that several pharmaceutical drug-makers and physicians engaged in fraudulent marketing of prescription painkillers. sot the cris has overwhelmed county provided services and has had a vastating effect on the counties ability to pay for those services. defendants must be held responsible for the devastating effects their actions have had the companies include perdue parma, teva, johnson & johnson, sefla, sauflon, and endo. the counties are seeking monetary damages.

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Good Day Wisconsin

Nov 8, 2017 | WLUK (FOX)

By Green Bay, WI

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573108?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
Rough Transcript: more than two dozen wisconsin counties have filed a federal lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies. the suit centers around the growing abuse of opiods, and the marketing campaigns drug makers are using. of the counties that have joined the lawsuit, half a dozen in purple are in our area. that's florence, oconto, door, shawano, waupaca, and fond du lac counes. the lawsuit blames what it calls "deceptive" advertising as a contributing factor to the nation's opioid overdose crisis. supporters of the lawsuit say first responders have been strained to the breaking point because of the increasing cases of opioid abuse. the lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages from purdue pharma, johnson & johnson, endo health sutions and subsidiaries of those companies. purdue pharma said in a statement that it "vigorously" denies the allegations.

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Fox 61 Morning News

Nov 8, 2017 | WTIC (FOX)

By New Haven, CT

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573111?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
Rough Transcript: the city of new haven is suing some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the country... saying they misled the public about the dangers of prescription opioids. the lawsuit names companies such as perdue phrma and johnson & johnson as defendants. the suit says it seeks compensation due to the rising costs for social and human services.... as well as the cost of additional police, fire and other first responders need to cope with the opioid epidemic. it says opioid manufacturers deceived doctors and patients about the highly addictive nature of their drugs.

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Fox 47 News at 9

Nov 7, 2017 | WMSN (FOX)

By Madison, WI

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573126?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
Rough Transcript: more than 2 dozen wisconsin counties are suing big drug companies in federal court... blaming them for the nation's opioid overdose epidemic those counities, including adams, columbia, grant, green iowa, jefferson, and rock counties, say local governments and law enforcement services were strained to the breaking point. and deceptive marketing tactics lead to the opioid epidemic. (((erin dickerson/lawye r for 28 wi counties@: "lawsuits filed toda represent an important step toward address the opioid cris in the state of wisconsin and they seek to hold the defendants reponsible for their central role in causing this crisis.")) the lawsuit seeks unspecified damages from purdue pharma, johnson and johnson, endo health solutions and subsidiaries of the companies. dane county officials say they're meeting with attorneys to review thier potential options.

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27 News at 6PM

Nov 8, 2017 | WKOW (ABC)

By Madison, WI

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573150?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
Rough Transcript: the class-action lawsuit that could change big pharma in wisconsin... and the country. new at 6 -- who one group is holding accountable for the opioidcrisis. hot button issue! tonight wisconsin lawmakers are fighting for a constitutional convention. new at 6 - what this wil mean for you and your family! good evening, i'm amber noggle. and i'm greg jeschke. tonight -- a federal lawsuit is pointing fingers at who is responsible for wisconsin's opioid cris. new at 6 -- 27 news nick buffo joins us with who that lawsuit says is to blame. greg & amber -- nearly two dozen wisconsin counties say quote -- nefarious and deceptive marketing campaigns -- from pharmaceutical companies are responsible for the nation's opioid overdose epidemic. ((today the law firms of crueger dickerson and simons hanly 7:00 PMconroy filed lawsuits on behalf of 28 wisconsin counties.)) that lawsuit says local governments' health and law enforcement services are strained -- and reaching a breaking point because of widespread opioid abuse. ((these companies' agressive and fraudulent marketing of prescription opioid painkillers as safe aplications for long term use has lead to a drug epidemic in both wisconsin and around the nation.)) according to the centers for disease control and prevention -- more than 52-thousand americans died in 2015 from drug overdoses. most of them involving prescription opioids or related ilicit drugs such as fentanyl and heroin the lawsuit seeks monetary damages from purdue pharma, johnson & johnson, endo health solutions, inc. and subsidiaries of the companies. ((overdoses are just the tip of the iceberg, however county governments are bearing the brunt of the cost of this cris.) more than two dozen states, cities and counties have filed similar lawsuits accusing pharmaceutical companies of making false claims about the dangers of their drugs. ((defendants must be held responsible for the devastating effects their actions have had both in wisconsin and around the country.)) the lawsuit claims in wisconsin, more than 18-hundred people died from opioid overdoses from 2013 to 2015. (lawsuits filed today represent an important step toward addres the opioid crisis in the state of wisconsin and they seek to hold the defendants reponsible for their central role in causing this crisis.) dane county is not one of the counties involved in the lawsuit. purdue pharma released a statement saying it denies the allegations. endo health solutions says it can't comment on pending litigation. johnson & johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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News 7 at 5

Nov 7, 2017 | WSAW (CBS)

By Wausau, WI

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573158?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
Rough Transcript: a federal lawsuit that deceptive marketing campaigns 6:06 PMfrom pharmaceutical companies are responsible for the opioid epidemic. >> lawsuit was filed today and claims local governments health and law enforcement services have been train strained to the braking . because of one open yoitd abuse. during a news conference today affecting nearly every agency. >> from child protective services with parents who are addicted to substance abuse programs, to increased narcan administration, to the clogging of the court systems with cases over opioids. to the sheriff's department who has to deal with this on a daily basis and hugely increased way over the last few years. the clocking of the jail. there is almost not a service that the counties provide that is not affected by this in a dramatic way. >>> the law suit seeks unspecified monetary damages from purdue pharma, johnson & johnsonand subsidiaries of those companies. several companies in our area are part of this lawsuit, including marathon, lincoln, and woods county.

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Action 2 News at Five

Nov 7, 2017 | WBAY (ABC)

By Green Bay, WI

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573170?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
Rough Transcript: at least two dozen wisconsin counties file a lawsuit blaming pharmaceutical companies for the nation's opioid crisis. the counties claim pharmaceutical companies fraudulently marketed opioid prescriptions-- adding to the severe financial strain on local governments and law enforcement in dealing with-- and treating opioid abuse. the counties seek unspecified monetary damages from purdue pharma, johnson & johnson, endo health solutions incorporated and subsidiaries of the companies. door, fond du lac, oconto, shawano, sheboygan and waupaca counties are already involved.

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FOX News at 4

Nov 7, 2017 | WZAWLD (FOX)

By Wausau, WI

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573175?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
Rough Transcript: two dozen wisconsin counties say deceptive marketing campaigns from pharmaceutical companies are responsible for the nation's opioid overdose epidemic. the lawsuit filed tuesday says local governments health and law enforcement services have strained to the breaking . because of -- breaking point. the lawsuit seeks unscified monetary damages and subsidiaries of the company. cities and counties have filed similar lawsuits of making false claims about the dangers of their drugs to make a profit. >>> the lawsuits filed today represent an important step towards addressing the opioidprocess and they seek to hold the defendant responsible for their central role in causing this crisis. >>> said in a statement it vigorously denies allegation, johnson & johnson and endso health solutions immediately respond the an e-mail asking for comment.

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TODAY'S TMJ4 News Live at 4:00

Nov 7, 2017 | WTMJ (NBC)

By Milwaukee, WI

Video Link: http://app.criticalmention.com/app/#clip/view/30573181?token=27447e67-4fd5-4c38-b26d-67183e81dd71
Rough Transcript: it has been a deadly,troubling trend in wisconsin and now 28 counties are fighting back with a lawsuit. the counties blame big pharmaceutical companies for deceptive practices when it comes to long term use of pain killers. julia fello met with the whitefish bay law firm representing all of these counties. what may have lit a fire under many of the county leaders is word is that a nationwide lawsuit may be filed soon.the 5:01 PMnumber of counties joing this lawsuit, could grow. we are told this lawsuit just filed against purdue, teva, johnson & johnson, cephalon, and endo pharmaceuticals...is going to cost the taxpayers in these 28 counties nothing. and there's no specific dollar amount they are suing for. reporter: could be in the millions? a: it will definitely be in the millions - reporter: hundreds of millions? a: umm yes, reporter: billions? a: i don't know it has been a devastating problemwhen we asked how much the opioid crisis has cost washington county for example...county leaders did not have an answer yet. the director of human services instead pointed to how this cris is ripping families apart. we large increase in children placed in out of home care due to the fact that their parents are dealing with an opioid addiction the lawsuit lays out accusations that the companies gave doctors fraudulent marketing that stated prescription opioid painkillers were safe for long term use.front groups titled the american family of pain management and different things that sound like they were doing scientific studies when really this is just unbranded marketing materials put out and sponsored by the pharmaceutical companies responses from pharmaceutical companies slam the lawsuit. johnson and johnson replied: "...we belive the allegations in similar lawsuits against our company are both legally and factually unfounded."teva pharmaceuticals which also owns cephalon replied:"teva offers extensive resources for prescribers, patients and pharmacists regarding the responsible pain management and prevention of prescription drug abuse."and purdue pharma said: "we vigorously deny these allegations and look forward to the opportunity to present our defense." endo pharmaceuticals says they do not comment on current lawsuits.you

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