SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY- According to ccbsnews.com, the wealthy family in control of Purdue Pharma has been added to the Suffolk County lawsuit against the manufacturer of OxyContin. The lawsuit against the Sackler family will likely not be the last. Over 1,000 lawsuits have been filed against the state and local governments, and there is a […]
SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY- According to ccbsnews.com, the wealthy family in control of Purdue Pharma has been added to the Suffolk County lawsuit against the manufacturer of OxyContin. The lawsuit against the Sackler family will likely not be the last. Over 1,000 lawsuits have been filed against the state and local governments, and there is a good chance that the family will face many more, potentially hundreds more, lawsuits.
Currently, not many of the lawsuits have included the Sacklers as defendants. Purdue Pharma, a massive pharmaceutical company worth an estimated $13 billion is owned and controlled by the Sacklers. Suffolk County has now filed documents indicating that the members of the powerful family played a part in promoting OxyContin and presenting the drug as safe and non-addictive despite their own knowledge to the contrary.
In June, the Massachusetts Attorney General added the Sackler’s to a lawsuit stating that the family took part in a “deadly, deceptive scheme” to sell their addictive painkillers. According to those familiar with the case and the allegations, the Sacklers gained “tens of billions” in profits from the company, and that the family members could be forced to return the money and could be hit with damages and penalties as a result of the lawsuits.
The lawsuits seek to hold pharmaceutical companies responsible for the spread of the deadly opioid epidemic which has devastated many communities across the United States. In 2017, fatal drug overdoses occurred at a rate of around 200 every day. In total, over 72,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2017, making it the deadliest year for overdoses in history.