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Hillbilly Heroin Alert
It is more than ironic that big Purdue Pharma is causing suffering, as
anyone who can fork out $634.5 million and not blink has too much money
and way too much control and say in the market without the proper
regulations upon them that is desperately needed immediately.
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Kentucky Sues Makers of OxyContin
05 October 2007 - By SAMIRA JAFARI - ap.google.com
PIKEVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky officials on Thursday
sued the manufacturer of OxyContin, the prescription painkiller dubbed
"hillbilly heroin," because of widespread abuse in Appalachia.
A lawsuit filed by Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo and Pike
County officials demands millions in compensation from drug maker
Purdue Pharma.
"Make no mistake about it — this is war," said Gary C. Johnson,
the county's outside counsel who is handling the case.
The lawsuit seeks reimbursement for costs incurred in drug abuse
programs, law enforcement and prescription payments through Medicaid
and the Kentucky Pharmaceutical Assistance program.
In a statement, Purdue Pharma officials said OxyContin's packaging
warns against the dangers of abusing the drug and that the company
shouldn't be held responsible for individuals do.
"We will defend this lawsuit vigorously and we expect to prevail," the
statement said.
Filed in Pike County Circuit Court, the lawsuit seeks class-action
status for other "similarly situated" counties in the state. It seeks
unspecified punitive damages and the creation of a court-monitored
fund, financed by Purdue Pharma, that would pay for a program that
would notify users of the potential harms of the drug and spur
research on the effects of the drug, among other initiatives.
OxyContin — the brand name for oxycodone — has been blamed for
hundreds of deaths across the country in recent years. Its intended
slow-release effect can be easily circumvented, and abuse has been
especially high in Appalachian states such as Kentucky, Virginia and
West Virginia.
At least six eastern Kentucky counties have agreed to participate in
the suit, with more expected to join, Johnson said.
Kentucky officials decided to pursue the lawsuit after the drug maker
and three of its current or former executives
pleaded guilty in May to misleading the public about the drug's
risk of addiction. They agreed to pay $634.5
million in fines for claiming the drug was less addictive and
less subject to abuse than other pain medications.
The plea agreement came two days after the company agreed to pay $19.5
million to 26 states and Washington, D.C., to settle complaints that
it encouraged physicians to overprescribe the drug.
The company said it accepted responsibility for "past misstatements"
by company officials.
"We do not believe, however, that those misstatement were responsible
for individuals' abuse of OxyContin," the statement said.
In 2006, 484 people died from drug overdoses in Kentucky, according to
the state medical examiner's annual report. It found that oxycodone
was the chief cause in 16 percent of the deaths.
That's only part of the toll, the plaintiffs claim. They say abuse of
prescription drugs including Oxycontin is so rampant in Pike County
that the jail underwent a $5.6 million expansion in 2005 to deal with
the problem.
"It's ironic that those who manufacture a
drug that is meant to ease the pain of those suffering from
debilitating diseases and who truly need it have in fact inflicted so
much pain by being deceptive and greedy," said Pike County
Judge-Executive Wayne T. Rutherford.
Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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