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DENVER – The State of Colorado is suing Purdue Pharma, alleging that the creator of the opioid drug OxyContin misrepresented the drug's potential for abuse and effectiveness by sending representatives to medical organizations and doctors' offices to disseminate this information.
The nearly 100-page lawsuit claims that the pharmaceutical giant, which has earned $ 35 billion in the manufacture and sale of opioids, has launched a marketing campaign aimed at questioning opioid use. They did this, says the lawsuit, by providing health professionals with "promotional material that seemed to be based on scientific evidence."
However, the complaint indicates that the evidence was often misleading and sponsored by Purdue, created by "company-selected" experts. In one example, Purdue wrote and sponsored Responsible Opioid Prescription, a clinician's guide produced by the Federation of State Medical Board (FSMB).
Click or tap here to read the full trial
The lawsuit states that "Purdue has provided $ 900,000 for various opioid-related FSMB initiatives, including $ 100,000 for responsible opioid drug distribution and $ 50,000 for the production of Scott Fishman, MD. "
This complaint denotes discrepancies between what Purdue told the public and what they said in camera, stating that Purdue essentially admits in internal reviews that opioids have no significant impact on the patient's function, or not at all. This same report claims that it is unclear whether the benefits of opioids outweigh the risks.
It's not uncommon for pharmaceutical representatives to visit medical offices, but the attorney general says Purdue's marketing strategy included funding from third-party organizations called "Front Groups" and "Key Opinion Leaders" (KOLs). ). medical groups.
The state said that from 2006 to 2016, Purdue had donated more than $ 68 million in grants to these "Front Groups" and that the message broadcast by these groups might have convinced Colorado health care professionals to modify their treatment protocols.
The lawsuit says Purdue has also named local Colorado officials.
"To complement the efforts of the national KOLs, Purdue also used Colorado KOLs to provide more reliable local sources of misinformation about opioids," reads in part. Like the national KOLs, the Purdue KOLs in Colorado pain organizations of the party, like the Colorado Pain Society. "
According to the lawsuit, the Colorado Pain Society sent a representative to the December 2017 stakeholder meeting regarding the new opioid prescribing guidelines in the state.
The complaint states that the representative suggested that Colorado doctors receive additional training and refer to this purdue-sponsored clinician's guide. The complaint indicates that the relationship with Purdue was not discussed at this December meeting.
The lawsuit also alleges that Purdue Pharma has regularly sent representatives to doctors' offices across the country, including Colorado, to share their information with health professionals who may be concerned about prescribing too many opioids.
Purdue pressured prescribers by claiming that they were failing to provide opioids for pain to their patients and that the company had convinced health care providers to increase doses by stating that OxyContin did not prescribe a maximum dose.
The lawsuit also details several specific abuses by Colorado doctors who were trained by representatives of Purdue Pharma.
In one case, the Purdue representative visited a family doctor in Fort Collins hundreds of times over a 10-year period and indicated that his doctor was the best prescriber of OxyContin. 20 years old.
The Colorado Medical Board sanctioned this doctor for failing to recognize the signs of abuse and then handed over his medical license.
The names of these doctors were not shared in the complaint.
In another example in the lawsuit, a Wheat Ridge physician first expressed concern about the prescription of the drug, but after dozens of visits from Purdue officials, he was prescribed OxyContin regularly. One of the doctor's patients took an overdose and he would later plead guilty to illegal distribution, getting 48 months in prison.
The trial makes 10 requests for compensation.
Neither the Colorado Pain Society nor Purdue Pharma has returned a request for comment.
If you think you have been affected by these practices, as a patient or doctor, share your story with journalist Ryan Haarer at [email protected].
Colorado sues opioid maker for misleading marketing campaign by 9news on Scribd
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