Missouri Sues Drug Firms Over Opioid Marketing -- WSJ
June 22 2017 - 3:02AM
Dow Jones News
By Jeanne Whalen
Missouri became the latest state to file a lawsuit against
opioid-painkiller companies, alleging they helped create an
addiction crisis by misrepresenting the risks and benefits of their
drugs.
The lawsuit, filed in state court by Attorney General Joshua
Hawley, targets various parent companies and subsidiaries,
including Purdue Pharma LP, Johnson & Johnson and Endo
Pharmaceuticals Inc., a unit of Endo International PLC.
The lawsuit alleges the companies "created a sprawling campaign
of misinformation and deception to convince doctors and consumers
that opioids pose little risk of addiction, and that such risks can
be easily identified and mitigated."
In an interview, Mr. Hawley, a newly elected Republican, said
the state is seeking civil penalties of "hundreds of millions of
dollars," and damages of "hundreds of millions of dollars," adding
that the companies' actions have "badly damaged the people of
Missouri and the state of Missouri."
Missouri's filing follows similar lawsuits from Ohio and
Mississippi, filed last month and in December 2015,
respectively.
In response to the Missouri lawsuit, Purdue 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."
Endo declined to comment on "current litigation," but said its
"top priorities include patient safety and ensuring that patients
with chronic pain have access to safe and effective therapeutic
options," while "preventing misuse and diversion of opioid
products."
Johnson & Johnson said it "has acted appropriately,
responsibly and in the best interests of patients regarding our
opioid pain medications, which are FDA-approved and carry
FDA-mandated warnings about the known risks of the medications on
every product label."
The Missouri lawsuit involves Purdue's marketing of OxyContin,
Endo's marketing of Percocet and Opana ER, and Johnson &
Johnson's marketing of Duragesic and Nucynta ER. Johnson &
Johnson divested Nucynta ER in 2015.
The lawsuits come as politicians, law-enforcement officials and
public-health leaders nationwide increasingly cite the addiction
epidemic as a major priority. Widespread opioid addiction has
pushed U.S. overdose death 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.
Mr. Hawley said the opioid-addiction crisis has been a key focus
since he took office in January. Missouri's death rate from opioids
is 1.6 times greater than the national average, and the state
recorded 30,000 hospitalizations and emergency-room visits tied to
opioids in 2015 -- a 200% increase from a decade earlier, Mr.
Hawley said in an interview.
In April, several prominent political figures in Missouri wrote
an open letter urging Mr. Hawley to run for U.S. Senate in 2018. On
Wednesday, Mr. Hawley called the request "flattering," adding: "I
am working as hard as I can at the job I was elected to do...I
think it's way too early to start talking about other elections or
other jobs."
Write to Jeanne Whalen at jeanne.whalen@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 22, 2017 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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