Washington state sues OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma
Source: Reuters
#HEALTH NEWS SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 / 1:18 PM / UPDATED 4 HOURS AGO
Washington state sues OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma
Nate Raymond
3 MIN READ
(Reuters) - Washington state on Thursday sued OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP, becoming the latest state or local government to file a lawsuit seeking to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for a national opioid addiction epidemic.
The city of Seattle also filed a separate lawsuit against Purdue as well as units of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Johnson & Johnson, Endo International Plc and Allergan plc.
The lawsuit by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson accused Purdue of deceptive marketing of OxyContin and convincing doctors and the public that its drugs had a low-risk of addiction and were effective for treating chronic pain.
He said he would be seeking to force Purdue to pay a significant sum for engaging in marketing practices that downplayed the addictiveness of its drugs, allowing it to earn billions of dollars while fuelling the opioid crisis.
I dont know how executives at Purdue sleep at night, Ferguson told reporters.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/us-washington-opioids/washington-state-sues-oxycontin-maker-purdue-pharma-idUSKCN1C32LM