An opioid manufacturer helps fund the antidote of overdose

A company whose prescription opioid marketing practices are accused of triggering the drug and overdose crisis says it is helping to fund an effort to create an antidote for overdoses at a lower cost.

Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, announced Wednesday it would provide a $ 3.4 million grant to Harm Reduction Therapeutics, a nonprofit organization based in Pittsburgh, to help develop a nasal spray made from naloxone cheaper.

The announcement comes as local authorities accuse Purdue, based in Stamford, Connecticut, and other pharmaceutical companies of using deceptive marketing practices to encourage mass prescription of powerful and addictive painkillers. Last week, the number of lawsuits against the industry, overseen by a federal judge, exceeded the number of 1,000.

In April, Portland took legal action by other cities against 20 drug companies and five doctors, claiming damages for the harm caused by the epidemic of opioid abuse.

Judge Dan Polster, based in Cleveland, is pushing the industry to agree with plaintiffs – mostly local governments and Native American tribes – and state governments, most of whom have filed lawsuits courts or conduct a joint investigation. Hundreds of other local governments also sue in state courts across the country.

The parties have had regular settlement discussions, but it is unclear when an agreement could be reached in the case, which is complicated by the number of parties and questions on how to blame.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that overdoses of drugs killed a record 72,000 Americans last year, about 10% more than in 2016. The majority of deaths were in opioids. But a growing number of them come from illicit synthetic drugs, including fentanyl, rather than prescription opioids such as OxyContin or Vicodin.

Governments are calling for changes in the marketing of opioids and help to pay for the treatment and costs of ambulances, child protection systems, prisons and other expenses associated with the opioid crisis.

Polster is expected to rule in the coming weeks on motions from drug manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies to reject claims. Trials in some cases – used to test problems common to many of them – are expected to begin in September 2019.

Purdue agreed to pay $ 634 million in fines in 2007 to settle charges that the company was minimizing the risk of addiction and abuse of its painkiller OxyContin since the 1990s.

He faces similar charges again.

Earlier this year, the private company stopped marketing OxyContin to doctors.

The allocation of naloxone is one way the company can show that it is trying to help stem the damage caused by opioids. "This grant is an example of the significant steps Purdue has taken to help combat opioid abuse in our communities," said Craig Landau, President and CEO of Purdue, in a statement.

Paul Hanly, one of the plaintiffs' leading litigation lawyers, said having more access to an antidote for overdoses would be a good thing, but he questioned Purdue's motives.

"I think it's only a strategic move on their part to attract the favor of the judge and the public," he said.

Naloxone is considered a major component of overdose prevention strategies. In recent years, most states have facilitated access to the antidote for laypeople. First responders, drug users, and others began to wear naloxone to reverse overdoses. But the price of drugs has been a problem for state and local governments.

Harm Reduction Therapeutics says it's trying to put its release on the market within two years.

"Fighting the current crisis of opioid dependence will require innovative approaches to both prevention and drug-assisted treatment," said Michael Hufford, co-founder and CEO of Harm Reduction. . "

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