Amid a Growing Opioid Crisis, Santa Fe Files Lawsuit Against Purdue Pharma, the Maker of Oxycontin SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO – As reported in an online news article published by www.krqe.com, the City of Santa Fe filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, joining numerous states, counties and cities across the United States in seeking to […]
Opioid crisis
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO – As reported in an online news article published by www.krqe.com, the City of Santa Fe filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, joining numerous states, counties and cities across the United States in seeking to hold the drug maker responsible for contributing to the opioid epidemic.
The opioid crisis has left far too many citizens dead, and others struggling with addiction. The City of Santa Fe, New Mexico, has filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of Oxycontin, a highly addictive opioid used to treat severe pain. The lawsuit alleges that Santa Fe has suffered in multiple ways from the opioid epidemic. For example, the Office of Drug Control Policy has labeled Santa Fe a “High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.” The key allegations of the lawsuit allege that Purdue Pharma used false and deceptive practices to market and distribute Oxycontin and other highly addictive opioids.
Purdue Pharma is not the only opioid manufacturer facing lawsuits nationwide. Many pharmaceutical companies manufacture and sell generic versions of Oxycontin and other opioids, and these companies are also facing lawsuits nationwide. Johnson & Johnson, a maker of generic opioids, attempted to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the state of Oklahoma claiming there is little evidence to suggest the company contributed to the opioid epidemic.
However, the judge in the case ruled that the state of Oklahoma presented enough evidence for the case to go forward and be heard before a jury. Allegations against Johnson & Johnson are essentially the same as those against Purdue Pharma and other opioid manufacturers.
A central theme identified in many of the lawsuits filed across the country is that opioid manufacturers collectively contributed to the opioid epidemic by pushing false and misleading information to both doctors and patients. Doctors were then more likely to prescribe opioids to patients to control pain over another pain medication that may have been better suited for certain patients. The consequences of such actions, according to lawsuits, has created an epidemic where more than 100 people die every day from the use of opioids.
