The opioid crisis has been hurting the United States for roughly two decades.
In the last few years, many manufacturers of opioids and middlemen have been targets for lawyers and state attorneys as they seek justice for their constituents.
Regarding the opioid crisis, many are not sure who to blame, but the manufacturers of opioids have not been getting off the hook either.
Recently, Purdue Pharma, creator of OxyContin— one of the largest prescription opioids on the market, will plead guilty to 3 criminal charges. This marks a new chapter in the fight against the opioid epidemic.
Read on to find out more about Purdue Pharma and the case brought against them. Also, what this will mean for Florida, who has been fighting the opioid epidemic for years.
Purdue Pharma and the Opioid Crisis
According to the Associated Press (AP) regarding Purdue Pharma’s criminal charges:
“The company will plead guilty to three counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and violating federal anti-kickback laws, the officials said, and the agreement will be detailed in a bankruptcy court filing in federal court.”
How did it all come to this? The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) goes in-depth on how these companies became so powerful, summarizing that companies reassured the medical community that their patients would not become addicted to their drugs. As a result, overprescribing occurred, which lead to misuse and abuse of opioid medications, beginning in the late 1990s.
Today, Purdue Pharma pleads guilty to similar malpractice. The AP states:
“Purdue is also admitting to violating federal anti-kickback laws by paying doctors, through a speaking program, to induce them to write more prescriptions for the company’s opioids and for using electronic health records software to influence the prescription of pain medication, according to the officials.”
Florida recently unveiled they will sue Big Pharma, seeking payments for damages. The legal dispute, initially filed in November 2018, includes Purdue Pharma as one of the defendants. The trial date will be in October 2021.
What could this mean for Florida, who has a history of overprescribing drugs? Florida may be successful in its case against several pharmaceutical companies, as a precedent has been set. For instance, NPR states Purdue Pharma will pay 8 billion dollars in its settlement case, with the payment helping states and communities with new resources for those suffering addiction. This may occur if Florida succeeds in proving opioid manufacturers exacerbated the opioid crisis in the state.
To read more about the Justice Department’s case against Purdue Pharma, visit “Justice Department Announces Global Resolution of Criminal and Civil Investigations with Opioid Manufacturer Purdue Pharma and Civil Settlement with Members of the Sackler Family.“
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