Attorney General Carr Files Suit Against Opioid Industry
The following is a press release from Attorney General Chris Carr’s office. Of note, several of the companies listed in the lawsuit, brought in Gwinnett Superior Court, have a significant presence in Georgia.
ATLANTA, GA – The Office of Attorney General Chris Carr today filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of Gwinnett County against opioid manufacturers and distributors* to seek justice for their alleged role in fueling the opioid crisis and its catastrophic effects on Georgia citizens.
“No Georgia community is a stranger to the devastating effects of the opioid crisis,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “We are bringing this lawsuit quite simply to seek justice for the citizens of Georgia. It is imperative that we recover for the widespread damage that has been caused by this epidemic.”
The lawsuit alleges that, in an effort to increase opioid use and thereby increase profits, the named opioid manufacturers embarked on a false and deceptive marketing campaign that grossly understated the dangerous addiction risks of opioids, while overstating their benefits. The complaint also alleges that to promote and add credibility to these false and deceptive claims, the named manufacturers used front groups and key opinion leaders appearing to be independent and unbiased third parties that were actually paid and controlled by the opioid manufacturers.
The lawsuit also alleges that the named opioid distributors supplied, sold and placed into the stream of commerce prescription opioids, without fulfilling their legal obligations to monitor, detect, report, investigate or otherwise prevent the fulfillment of suspicious orders. This behavior led to the predictable diversion of these dangerous drugs for illegitimate and/or non-medical purposes.The civil action – brought exclusively under Georgia law – seeks damages, injunctive relief and restitution for defendants’ conduct.
Please check law.georgia.gov throughout the day as we update this release to include the full complaint.
For more information on the legal team assisting in this opioid investigation and litigation, pleaseCLICK HERE.
*Purdue Pharma L.P., Purdue Pharma Inc.; The Purdue Frederick Company Inc.; Cephalon, Inc.; Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.; Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.; Endo Health Solutions, Inc.; Endo International plc; Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Par Pharmaceutical, Inc.; Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. f/k/a Par Pharmaceutical Holdings, Inc.; Qualitest Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Mallinckrodt plc; Mallinckrodt LLC; SpecGx LLC; Allergan plc; Actavis plc; Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Watson Laboratories, Inc.; Actavis, Inc.; Actavis LLC; Actavis Pharma, Inc.; Watson Pharma, Inc.; AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation; Cardinal Health, Inc.; McKesson Corporation; J M Smith Corporation
About Author
Charlie
Founder of GeorgiaPol.com; Now weekly columnist Very interested in Georgia and Georginas. Interest in politics is waning daily.
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Carr must be pretty sure a good-sized payday is coming. I wish he’d drop his crying about front groups and employees posing as independents–big pharma is no different from big oil or big tobacco or even big politics–and admit it’s easier to put the squeeze on unpopular corporations than it is to go after the medical people and groups who kept writing the scrips.
The DEA always wants the distributor more then the dealers
It’s like Mom and Dad suing the distiller when little Suzy winds up in the hospital after a night of slamming shots at a local joint.
Agree! This is Tobacco Part 2. Preying on the wealth of others. Doctors told each patient the painkillers were potentially addictive. Alcohol will be next.
The thing is big pharma is the one who sold the drugs as not being addictive. They gave the free goodies to the medical people to keep them happy to get them to write the scripts. And it was all technically legal – since big pharma exists to make shareholders money and will did anything to get the sale. Insurance companies helped along the way… it’s cheaper to pay for a 6 months of pain killers then 6 months of physical theory for long term pain management.
I recommend reading
https://www.amazon.com/Dreamland-True-Americas-Opiate-Epidemic/dp/1620402521/ref=pd_sim_14_8?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1620402521&pd_rd_r=ab600a96-0fa1-11e9-a97d-ad1357b2023e&pd_rd_w=Y6z8a&pd_rd_wg=QPnxW&pf_rd_p=18bb0b78-4200-49b9-ac91-f141d61a1780&pf_rd_r=RVJSV1XJ38V2XXT72HKW&psc=1&refRID=RVJSV1XJ38V2XXT72HKW
https://www.amazon.com/Dopesick-Dealers-Doctors-Company-Addicted/dp/0316551244/ref=pd_bxgy_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0316551244&pd_rd_r=954be88d-0f9e-11e9-85cd-a9b33ba877cb&pd_rd_w=eIliE&pd_rd_wg=A6Zw6&pf_rd_p=6725dbd6-9917-451d-beba-16af7874e407&pf_rd_r=H385WG8N2GV6A24PJPE8&psc=1&refRID=H385WG8N2GV6A24PJPE8
Also on my ‘to read’ list
https://www.amazon.com/American-Overdose-Opioid-Tragedy-Three/dp/1610398610/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546550924&sr=8-1&keywords=american+overdose
It’s worth keeping in mind that opioids are legal drugs. Pharma doesn’t decide whether any drug is addictive, or to what purpose it should be used, and doctors are supposed to rely on the FDA and medical research for their guidelines, not their local sales rep. The prescribing doctor is the one who determines if drug suits patient. He’s presumed to be conscientious in his work. When he’s not, with very rare exceptions, he skates.
Every group protects its own but doctors are as likely to shield their substandard performers as cops, and they have better connections too.
This is all sorts of incorrect and misleading.
“It’s worth keeping in mind that opioids are legal drugs.” Correct, but they are a controlled substance.
“Pharma doesn’t decide whether any drug is addictive.” This is just dumb and a lie. Pharma makes the drugs. They know how addictive they are or aren’t because they have done years of clinical research on the drugs. When they then turn around and tell docs that they are less addictive than they truly are they are in the wrong.
“doctors are supposed to rely on the FDA and medical research for their guidelines.” Have true. Prescribing guidelines for opioids comes from the CDC. Also, doc groups fight tooth and nail against any changes to these guidelines. They don’t just read them and say “yes, sir.”
“The prescribing doctor is the one who determines if drug suits patient.” Correct. But certain specialties are notorious for over proscribing and need retraining on prescribing guidelines. Not all doctors know everything. Dentist and oral surgeons are some of the worst over prescribers.
“Every group protects its own but doctors are as likely to shield their substandard performers as cops.” I assume you mean “as cops do.” That is correct and medical doctors would be better served by the AMA and other organizations if they got on board an realized that they are a part of the problem. Not “THE” problem, but a part and they have a role in fixing this horrible problem.
““Pharma doesn’t decide whether any drug is addictive.” This is just dumb and a lie.”
My statement may be dumb. It may even be wrong–I am not a specialist–but I’m not trying to pass off something that I know to be false.
I don’t excuse pharma. They make and sell powerful product and like any other business they’re anxious to increase sales and will go right to the edge sometimes in their marketing. They’ve been known to fudge data and yes, to lie, so I don’t have any problem with holding offenders’ feet to the fire.
But patients see doctors not pharma reps. They rely on the doctors’ knowledge and judgement. Pretty much, doctors have held up well. The total number of prescriptions dispensed and the prescribing rate has dropped since 2012.
Still, through ignorance or laziness or inattention, too many doctors are quick to prescribe and keep prescribing, and the patient becomes addicted or more likely the over-supply finds its way to addicts and addicts-to-be.
You recognize the problem with doctors’ over-prescribing. You suggest retraining. You suggest the AMA get involved. Fine, let’s do all that. But let’s hold doctors who are too eager to deliver the pills to the public accountable too.