Kentucky Counties Sue Purdue Pharma Over OxyContin
October 9th, 2007 Posted by: Dr. Cox
A multi-million-dollar class-action lawsuit has been filed by a group of counties in Kentucky over problems associated with the powerful prescription painkiller OxyContin, Pharmaceutical News reported Oct. 7.
The lawsuit alleges that OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma committed fraud and was guilty of conspiracy, negligence and creating a public nuisance in its marketing of the drug, which was at the heart of an epidemic of prescription-drug abuse and overdose deaths in Kentucky and elsewhere in the U.S.
The lawsuit seeks reimbursement of the cost of prescriptions paid by Medicaid and the Kentucky Pharmaceutical Alliance program, as well as damages associated with the addiction-treatment and law-enforcement costs associated with OxyContin use.
Purdue Pharma officials recently pled guilty to charges of misleading the public about the dangers of the drug. Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stambo said that OxyContin abusers have overwhelmed the state’s treatment programs and prisons.