Tag: opioid crisis

FDA Failed to Ensure Safe Prescribing of Opioids, Documents Show

Three open bottles of prescription medication.

Newly unearthed documents show that the Food and Drug Administration failed to use its policing powers to make sure a program to curb improper prescribing of opioids was effective, researchers say. The lax oversight, they point out, occurred as the epidemic was growing and tens of thousands of people were dying from overdoses each year.… Continue reading FDA Failed to Ensure Safe Prescribing of Opioids, Documents Show

‘SELL BABY SELL’: Inside the Opioid Industry’s Marketing Machine

Three open bottles of prescription medication.

A dozen years ago, the federal government came down hard on Purdue Pharma, fining the drugmaker and three of its executives a record $634 million for misbranding its blockbuster OxyContin pill as safer and less addictive than other painkillers. In the decade leading up to the 2007 fine, Purdue helped change the culture of prescribing… Continue reading ‘SELL BABY SELL’: Inside the Opioid Industry’s Marketing Machine

U.S. Prosecutors Open Criminal Probe of Opioid Makers, Distributors

Three open bottles of prescription medication.

Federal prosecutors are investigating six pharmaceutical companies for potential criminal charges in connection with shipping big quantities of opioid painkillers that contributed to a healthcare crisis, according to regulatory filings. Five companies have received subpoenas from the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Eastern District of New York as part of the investigation: drugmakers Teva Pharmaceutical… Continue reading U.S. Prosecutors Open Criminal Probe of Opioid Makers, Distributors

Major Drug Companies Reach Last-Minute $260 Million Opioid Settlement

A large group of prescription medication bottles sit on a table as a man in the background stands with his hand on his head. The image is photographed with a very shallow depth of field with the focus being on the pill bottles in the foreground.

The three major drug distributors and an opioid manufacturer have reached a settlement worth $260 million to avoid the landmark first federal opioid trial that was set to begin here Monday. Judge Dan A. Polster of the Northern District of Ohio announced from the bench Monday morning that the deal was struck around 1 a.m.… Continue reading Major Drug Companies Reach Last-Minute $260 Million Opioid Settlement

Opioid Epidemic Cost the U.S. Economy at Least $631 Billion Over Four Years

Three open bottles of prescription medication.

The opioid epidemic cost the U.S. economy at least $631 billion from 2015 to 2018, according to a Society of Actuaries’ (SOA) analysis of non-medical opioid use during this timeframe. The SOA report, authored by Milliman, also projected future costs of the opioid epidemic for 2019 based on three scenarios reflecting how the crisis may… Continue reading Opioid Epidemic Cost the U.S. Economy at Least $631 Billion Over Four Years

J&J Offers $4 Billion Opioid Litigation Settlement

Opioid epidemic, painkillers and drug abuse concept with close up on a bottle of prescription drugs and hydrocodone pills falling out of it on white

Johnson & Johnson has offered to pay about $4 billion to settle all lawsuits in the U.S. accusing the company of contributing to the opioid-addiction epidemic, according to people familiar with the matter. If completed, the deal would resolve more than 2,000 lawsuits by state and local governments alleging that J&J’s marketing of pain drugs… Continue reading J&J Offers $4 Billion Opioid Litigation Settlement

Judge Orders Pause in Opioid Litigation Against Purdue Pharma and Sacklers’ Image

Three open bottles of prescription medication.

Citing mounting costs of litigation that are siphoning funds that could otherwise go to abate the opioid crisis, a bankruptcy judge on Friday ordered a pause in legal action by states against Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sacklers. The ruling was a setback for 25 states that have forcefully opposed a national opioid settlement… Continue reading Judge Orders Pause in Opioid Litigation Against Purdue Pharma and Sacklers’ Image

Purdue Settlement Hinges on Deal with Justice Department, Documents Show

Opioid epidemic, painkillers and drug abuse concept with close up on a bottle of prescription drugs and hydrocodone pills falling out of it on white

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP’s plan to turn over its operations to creditors and see its owners, the Sacklers, exit the opioid business is contingent on first resolving U.S. Justice Department probes, court filings show. The disclosure emerged late Tuesday in a proposed term sheet Purdue filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York that… Continue reading Purdue Settlement Hinges on Deal with Justice Department, Documents Show

Sacklers Reaped Up to $13B from OxyContin Maker, U.S. States Say

Opioid epidemic, painkillers and drug abuse concept with close up on a bottle of prescription drugs and hydrocodone pills falling out of it on white

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP steered up to $13 billion in profits to the company’s controlling Sackler family, according to U.S. states opposing efforts to halt lawsuits alleging the company and its owners helped fuel the U.S. opioid epidemic. The wealthy Sacklers received the money from Purdue during an unspecified time frame, according to court… Continue reading Sacklers Reaped Up to $13B from OxyContin Maker, U.S. States Say

Johnson & Johnson Agrees to Settle Ohio Opioid Lawsuits for $20.4 Million

Opioid epidemic, painkillers and drug abuse concept with close up on a bottle of prescription drugs and hydrocodone pills falling out of it on white

Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday said it has agreed to a $20.4 million deal to avoid an upcoming trial accusing the company of helping spark an opioid-addiction crisis in two Ohio counties. The settlement makes J&J the fourth drugmaker to reach such a deal ahead of the trial, slated to begin later this month in… Continue reading Johnson & Johnson Agrees to Settle Ohio Opioid Lawsuits for $20.4 Million