Kentucky Sues Makers of OxyContin

Source: ABC News

Kentucky officials on Thursday sued the manufacturer of OxyContin, the prescription painkiller dubbed "hillbilly heroin," because of widespread abuse in Appalachia.

A lawsuit filed by Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo and Pike County officials demands millions in compensation from drug maker Purdue Pharma.

"Make no mistake about it this is war," said Gary C. Johnson, the county's outside counsel who is handling the case.

The lawsuit seeks reimbursement for costs incurred in drug abuse programs, law enforcement and prescription payments through Medicaid and the Kentucky Pharmaceutical Assistance program.

In a statement, Purdue Pharma officials said OxyContin's packaging warns against the dangers of abusing the drug and that the company shouldn't be held responsible for individuals do.



Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=3689478

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I feel the same way about this as I do about the gun maker lawsuits - stupid to sue the manufacturer for abuse of their lawfully produced product.

Must be a great place to live....

:rofl:

Narcotic Maker Guilty of Deceit Over Marketing

For more than 12 years, states have been complaining about increases in OxyContin addictions.

penalties for lying about the viciously addictive Oxycontin. Purdue maintained there was no additional addiction risk for years, fully knowing their own in-house research determined OxyContin was HIGHLY addictive and would be a PROBABLE medical problem. Purdue misrepresented OxyContin to regulators, doctors and patients.

instantly by grinding up and snorting the pills as powder, giving the user a heroin-like rush.

The makers knew all along that this was a possibility. The drug was tailor-made for abuse, and the addictive nature guaranteed massive profits. It was a "legal" way for a pharm company to tap into the black market drug trade, where billions of dollars are available to purchase anything that gets users high. If you think this wasn't their plan from the very beginning, think again. Ever since Bayer invented Heroin, pharm companies have been looknig for ways to profit from addiction.

that's the case for pretty much *all* "time release" medications. you can also circumvent it by, you know, TAKING MORE PILLS. whether they downplayed its addicting nature or not is a real question. this, however, is just silliness.

Bet you're gonna like the state more, huh?

Good on Kentucky for going after false or fraudulent marketing, especially by the Big Corporations that can afford to practice sustained saturation advertising in multiple markets simultaneously.

However, I'd also hate to see Pain Management made that much more difficult to doctors and expensive to patients in the event of some medical condition that requires this type of painkiller.

Perhaps Kentucky and or Feds though Single-Payer Medicare should pay (in the case they don't already) for alternative healthcare such as proven-effective acupuncture treatments for pain, as well. I wonder if marijuana was legal, if the cumulative pain of Appalachians would be reduced, and thereby Kentucky's related budget issues helped.

Somedays I pine for pre-FDA patent medicines (pre 1900), no doctor required. Life IS Painful, and pain tends to get worse with age.