For deaths in the United States, they sue the company that produces an analgesic that is sold in Argentina

In the context of one of the worst drug crises that the United States is facing in all its history, a pharmaceutical company in this country faces a mbadive demand in which she is accused of having contributed to the increase in the number of deaths due to an opiate overdose. It is about OxyContin, one of his most controversial painkillers, which is currently marketed in Argentina.

The Sackler family, owner of the company Purdue Pharma, he was direct request from 1,600 cities, counties and US states for the use of misleading advertising to promote the sale of their products. Marketing one of them, called the painkiller OxyContin, sentenced the company to pay a sum of $ 634.5 million fine in 2007 for failing to inform the public of their risk of dependence.

Following the new wave of charges, Purdue owners have not only they denied this type of effect in their productsbut said that they were absolutely determined to find a solution to the so-called "epidemic" of opiates that is rampant in the country.

In the midst of the judicial conflict, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that the overdose deaths of these types of substances, including those provided with a prescription, they have multiplied by six since 1999. Thus, more than 47,000 cases were registered in the United States in 2017, of which 36% were prescription drugs.

In the Argentina, OxyContin is marketed by the American laboratory Mundipharma Pharmaceuticals SRL, present in the country since 2016. As confirmed by the newspaper Clarin by the general director of the company, Martín Gravano, the product continues on sale today. In addition, the executive stated that the company had no communication with Purdue Pharma and was therefore unaware of the situation in the United States.

Gravano said they had not received any information regarding any inconvenience related to their use in Argentina, and he said the drug was the only one responsible for the crisis in North America. "It was not just OxyContin. All opioids usually produce side effects when they are misused it's like everything: misused, any product can be complex, "he said.