The Sackler family and members of Purdue Pharma accused of taking advantage of the opioid crisis

"For many years, Purdue, his leaders, and members of the Sackler family have been trying to blame themselves and hide their role in the infection through the epidemic. opioids We thank the court for lifting the impoundment of our complaint so that the public and families so deeply affected by this crisis can see the allegations of wrongdoing that have caused so much harm, "said Monday Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey in a statement to CNN.

The Purdue Pharmaceuticals legal team is considering seeking a stay of the case pending an appeal review of the judge's ruling, Purdue spokesman Robert Josephson said Monday.

In a previous statement to CNN, Purdue Pharma said, "To divert attention from these omissions of fact and the many other shortcomings in his assertions, the Attorney General chose to select from tens of millions of emails and other professional documents by Purdue. "

The Sackler Family Links

The Sackler Family, worth about $ 13 billion, is well known for its philanthropy in the whole world. The family name appears in museums and galleries around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Sackler Museum in Beijing and the Royal Academy in London. Their company Purdue Pharma sells OxyContin and has already been criticized for its aggressive marketing of opioid analgesic.

There have already been lawsuits against the company, including a federal federal action in 2007, settled for $ 600 million as part of a plea agreement. The federal charge was "misleading and fraudulent for doctors and consumers," referring to OxyContin's addiction. The Sackler family was not specifically attached to these costumes.

Healey filed the lawsuit, which is named after eight members of the Sackler family, alleging that they knew that OxyContin caused overdose and death, but continued to promote the drug. Nine other people currently or previously associated with the company are also named in the lawsuit.

"They led deceitful business and marketing practices in the heart of Purdue, sending hundreds of orders to executives and line employees, Purdue collected opioids sold, they paid for themselves and their families, billions of dollars, "said Healey.

The original lawsuit was severely redacted, obscuring specific details relating to members of the Sackler family and others named in the lawsuit.

A lower court withdrew some of the redactions earlier this month, but Healey argued that the remaining 189 paragraphs should be disclosed. "Revealing the truth about Purdue's misconduct is important to getting justice and ensuring that a deception like Purdue's does not happen again," she said in her complaint.

According to the complaint, the concealed documents show documents that contradict the testimony of members of the Sackler family.

Following says that doctors were misled about OxyContin

"From the beginning, the Sackler considered that the limits imposed on opioids were an obstacle to bigger ones To earn more money, the Sacklers were wondering if they could sell OxyContin in some countries as an uncontrolled drug, "the prosecution claims that sections of the initial complaint Had not been redacted.

The Sacklers were behind Purdue's decision to deceive doctors and patients, says the lawsuit. "In 1997, Richard Sackler, Kathe Sackler, and other Purdue officials determined – and recorded in secret internal correspondence – that the doctors had the crucial misconception that OxyContin was weaker than morphine, making them had led to prescribing OxyContin much more often, even as a substitute. for Tylenol. "

Purdue's former president, Richard Sackler, is described as a micromanager who is constantly seeking to increase his profits even though the opioid crisis was well advanced, according to the complaint.

According to the lawsuit, Sackler sometimes went to the doctor with sales representatives to drive sales, and wanted aggressive and positive advertising, even though Purdue executives were worried about how he was promoting drugs.

The complaint indicates that internal records dating back to 2011 show that Sackler was not satisfied with the number of prescriptions of OxyContin. "When a week of sales doubled the company's forecast, he told the sales staff, "I had hoped for better results."

In February 2012, Russell Gasdia, vice president of sales at that time, sent a message. "The Boston District is failing." Internal documents show that the sales manager at the time had agreed with Gasdia and had declared that sales representatives who were increasing no opioid prescriptions should be dismissed. According to the complaint documents, Gasdia accepted this assessment and said that returning them would be "sending a message".

The order made by Judge Sanders on Monday ruled that the only paragraph to remain redacted concerns Gasdia, explaining that prosecutors could withdraw allegations from the complaint entirely because they might not be accurate.

The complaint also explains how the family knew, as early as 2013, that the number of deaths due to OxyContin had tripled since 1990. "The staff told the Sacklers that tens of thousands of deaths still occur. were the "tip of the iceberg" ", according to the complaint. .

Purdue Denies Charges

Previously, Purdue told CNN that Healey's accusations, "… irresponsible and counterproductive, substituted the sensual allegations of his lawyers for scientific determinations. Experts from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and completely ignoring the millions of patients who are prescribed Purdue Pharma drugs for the management of their severe chronic pain. "

The release also notes that the OxyContin represents a small percentage of opioid analgesic drugs and that the focus should be on resolving the "complex public health crisis" caused by opioids.

Purdue also accuses the Attorney General of failing "essential facts regarding the FDA's regulation of opioid drugs".

"In April 2010, the FDA approved a reformulated version of OxyContin, developed by Purdue with properties intended to deter abuses.Purdue worked for more than ten years developing the new formulation. "It was the first approved opioid with deterrent properties.," says the statement.

"The Attorney General of Massachusetts congratulated the FDA for supporting the dissuasive language of abuse and forcing insurers to cover it, and

" The FDA directly addressed many of the issues raised in the Massachusetts complaint and continued to determine that Purdue Pharma opioids are safe and effective for the purpose for which they are intended.

According to information provided by CNN last year, Purdue announced that it would stop promoting OxyContin to physicians, and that it would halve its workforce in early 2018. [19659035] Oxycontin and the opioid crisis

Opioids are a class of pharmaceuticals that include prescription painkillers such as OxyContin as well as illicit drugs like heroin and fentanyl. at the beginning of an ongoing public health crisis in America.

In 2017, there was 47% In the United States, 600 deaths related to opioid-related drugs – more than the number of breast cancer deaths – according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The opioid crisis has raised serious concerns about prescription pain medications. Between 1999 and 2009, overdoses related to these drugs increased by about 13% per year, although this increase has since slowed to 3% per year.

Sales of OxyContin, which is a long-acting version of the drug oxycodone designed to deliver drugs in 12 hours, increased rapidly after its launch on the market in 1996.

Lauren del Valle from CNN contributed to the writing of this report.