Oregon AG is again suing the manufacturer of OxyContin



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SALEM, Oregon – Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum has sued Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, for misleading and misleading its opioid in Oregon for more than a decade.

The complaint alleges that Purdue misrepresented OxyContin to Oregon seniors, misrepresented the risks and benefits of the drug and lied to the Oregon Board of Pharmacy to maximize Purdue's profits. . He says that during the past decade, Purdue has embarked on a series of deceptive racket activities and activities in Oregon.

Here is the rest of the Rosenblum press release:

The complaint, filed in the Multnomah Circuit Court, explains how Purdue's conduct violated an agreed 2007 Oregon judgment stemming from a previous investigation into his unlawful practices and four separate laws: The Law on unlawful business practices with the Disability Abuse Prevention Act, the False Claims Act and the Racketeer Corruption and Influence Organizations Act in Oregon.

"Oregon sued Purdue in 2007 for misleadingly marketing OxyContin, which led to an alarming rate of addiction in Oregon and across the country," said Rosenblum. "Although we can not bring lost lives back to opioid addiction, we can ask ourselves if Purdue has kept the promise made over the past decade to correct their behavior. The answer, unfortunately, is a resounding "no". Instead, they continued to market this very addictive pain pills to Oregon doctors and to mislead health care providers and the Oregon Pharmacy Board.

The long complaint explains, on page 5: "Over the past decade … Purdue has sent false, misleading and deceptive publications to Oregon, trained its sales force to minimize the risk of addiction, of 39, disability and death. the sale of its opioids and a partnership with industry-funded advocacy organizations to falsely, misleadingly and misleadingly promote opioids.

Target the old Oregonians:

Among the many vulnerable people that Purdue targeted in their marketing, there were older Oregonians and doctors who prescribed to the elderly. Despite research showing that older people are not good candidates for opioids, the number of opioid prescriptions given to Oregonians over 65 increased between 2012 and 2016. "Purdue knew or should have known that the use of opioids in falls and bone fractures … Purdue knew or should have known that the use of her opioids increased the overall risk of death in elderly patients, "reads the page 15-16 of the complaint.

Lying at the Oregon Pharmacy Board:

The complaint also alleges that as of 2008, Purdue has submitted applications for renewal of its manufacturer-controlled substance registration to the Pharmacy Commission. The form contained the following question: "Did you have any federal or state disciplinary measures or were any measures taken by a jurisdiction?" Purdue replied in the negative "no", although the Attorney General of Canada Oregon by the federal government.

Promote with doctors:

The complaint also alleges that, in violation of the 2007 judgment, Purdue knowingly and intentionally facilitated the excessive prescribing of opioids in Oregon, did not warn federal and state officials of suspected opioid orders and has stopped promoting opioids to prescribers.

Oregon's role in the way forward:

Because of Oregon's role in conducting major investigations and settlements with pharmaceutical companies, the Oregon Department of Justice has released nearly $ 4 million to combat the epidemic of opioids. The latest of these grants, announced today, is a $ 760,000 grant to Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to fund a library of evidence-based best practices for preventing and treating cancer. opioid disorders.

Other local grants have been granted to improve maternal and child health in patients with opioid-related disorders, increase the number of prescribers available in Oregon for the medical treatment of opioid-related disorders and improve prescribing rates of opioids in Oregon.

In addition, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) has received a grant to fund conferences and training related to the opioid epidemic, to create consumer education materials, and to fund two studies on opioid prosecutions. .

In 2015, Oregon also funded $ 567,000 in grants to combat opioid abuse in Oregon, as a result of its agreement with the pharmaceutical company Insys.

The OHSU and NAAG grants are administered by the Oregon Department of Justice and come from funds held by Oregon on behalf of the 50 states of the settlement reached in 2004 with the pharmaceutical company Warner Lambert / Pfizer in the part of the Neurontin Pain Pill. .

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