Makers Of OxyContin Sued By State Of Colorado

DENVER, CO – The Colorado Attorney Generals office sued the pharmaceutical makers of prescription opioid OxyContin claiming a "fraudulent and deceptive" marketing campaign over decades helped cause the state's opioid epidemic that has killed thousands of Coloradans.

Attorney General Cynthia H. Coffman filed suit against Purdue Pharma L.P. and Purdue Pharma, Inc claiming Purdue "misled Colorado health care providers and consumers about the addiction risks" and "encouraged doctors to prescribe more opioids and at higher doses for longer periods of time," a statement from the AG's office said. "The result was a financial windfall for the company and a historic deadly epidemic that has killed thousands of Coloradans and left many thousands more struggling with opioid addiction."

The company sought to "flood" Colorado with prescription opioids over decades, the suit says. To do so, the company created "purportedly independent national pain organizations and experts" who downplayed the danger of addiction to doctors, politicians and consumers. The suit also claims marketers created a fake syndrome called “pseudoaddiction” to counter claims that opioids were dangerous.

Between 1999 and 2017, there have been approximately 3,000 prescription opioid-related deaths in Colorado, not including overdoses from synthetic opioids such as Fentanyl, or those who turned to heroin when they were no longer able to afford or access prescription opioids, the AG's office said.

Even though the number of opioid prescriptions written is going down in Colorado, almost four out of 1,000 babies are born addicted to opioids, and opined hospitalizations for seniors increased by 83 percent in the past eight years, the AG's office said.

More than 40 state attorneys general have formed a coalition to investigate and prosecute opioid manufacturers and distributors for their role in causing the opioid epidemic.

“Purdue unleashed a surge of prescription opioids on Coloradans while hiding the facts about their drugs’ addictive properties,” said Attorney General Coffman in a statement. “Their corporate focus on making money took precedence over patients’ long-term health, and Colorado has been paying the price in loss of life and devastation of its communities as they struggle to address the ongoing opioid crisis. Purdue’s habit- forming medications coupled with their reckless marketing have robbed children of their parents, families of their sons and daughters, and destroyed the lives of our friends, neighbors, and co-workers. While no amount of money can bring back loved-ones, it can compensate for the enormous costs brought about by Purdue’s intentional misconduct.”

"Purdue failed in its responsibility to ensure that consumers understood the risks associated with their products," said Governor John Hickenlooper. "We applaud this action and believe it is appropriate to safeguard the health of all Coloradans. We will do everything we can to support transparency in health care. Pharmaceutical companies play a vital role in our health care system, but trust in those companies and their products is critical."

Purdue manufactures, promotes, markets, advertises, and sells its own specific prescription opioids including: Butrans (buprenorphine), Dilaudid (hydromorphone hydrochloride), Dilaudid-HP (hydromorphone hydrochloride), Hysingla ER (hydrocodone bitrate), MS Contin (morphine sulfate extended release), OxyContin (oxycodone hydrochloride extended release), Ryzolt (tramadol HCI extended-release), and Targiniq ER (oxycodone hydrochloride and naloxone hydrochloride).

For anyone who is struggling with addiction, there are services available to help. For more information go to: http://www.corxconsortium.org/wp-content/uploads/OTP.pdf or contact: http://coloradocrisisservices.org/

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