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Purdue Pharma's opioid force has lied to the Oregon Pharmacy Council and targeted the elderly, a lawsuit filed Thursday by Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said.
The Rosenblum office filed a notice on June 27 in a first step to sue the maker of OxyContin beyond what the state claims to be 10 years of violations of a state agreement. The notice required that Purdue abide by the terms of a 2007 settlement or that Oregon file a lawsuit.
The state has asked for more than a million dollars and a ban on selling opioids to Purdue to seniors in Oregon. The lawsuit alleges that the company has distributed publications and partnered with industry-funded advocacy organizations in Oregon with false and misleading claims, trained its sales force to minimize
"Ten years later, it is clear that Purdue has flouted the judgment and ignored the severe federal sanctions," says the lawsuit.
Oregon is part of coordinated efforts by states to hold opioid societies accountable and recover some money to pay for drug treatment. This last trial, however, is not part of this effort.
Oregon is probably the first state to cite the Prevention of Abuse of Elderly and Persons with Disabilities Act to say that Purdue was targeting seniors. Evidence includes that The Oregonian / OregonLive reported that in 2015, for every 100,000 seniors living in Oregon, nearly 700 people aged 65 and over had been sent to the community. hospital because of opioids.
The complaint states that opioids can increase the risk of falls, fractures and death in the elderly. She says the company was targeting long-term care facilities and urged doctors to prescribe opioids at higher doses than those safe for people over 65 years of age.
The lawsuit alleges that each year, when Purdue renewed its request to sell OxyContin in Oregon to the board of state pharmacies, it lied as to whether it had been subject to state and federal sanctions.
Purdue had to pay fines and senior executives were charged with crimes for the way the company was marketing and selling OxyContin.
Most states recognize the opioid epidemic as a public health crisis. Governor Kate Brown signed an executive decree at the beginning of the year calling it a state priority.
The Oregon Department of Justice has committed almost $ 4 million to fight the opioid epidemic, including $ 760,000 at Oregon Health & Science University to fund a library of evidence-based practices .
This trial is taking place as Oregon-related opioid deaths begin to multiply. Public health officials said earlier this year that fentanyl – an opioid that is widespread among people who can no longer access prescribed opioids – appears to have settled in the state. Jackson County recorded a 70% increase in opioid overdose deaths in the first quarter of the year.
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