The opioid lawsuit has been resolved. However, at what cost?
The country’s health care system is struggling to cope with the influx of people who are addicted and need help. The settlement will be nothing more than a band-aid fix on an issue that requires systemic changes in society’s approach to drugs and addiction.
The “opioid lawsuit 2021” is a lawsuit that was filed in 2016. As of now, the case has not been resolved.
The quantity of prescription medicines like hydrocodone and oxycodone, generally known as opioids, marketed in the United States has almost doubled since 1999. Overdoses have claimed the lives of approximately 180,000 Americans since 2000.
As a result of the rising pandemic, many victims have filed lawsuits against doctors and drug companies for neglecting to warn about the drugs’ addictive potential. Doctors, drug corporations, and “pill mills” are accused of exploiting patients, understating the addictive nature of the pills, and costing people and states millions of dollars in medical and law enforcement costs, according to opioid lawsuits.
Please call us immediately for a free legal consultation if you or a loved one has become addicted to prescription opioids. You may be able to file a lawsuit against the corporations or physicians who you believe are responsible for your addiction.
Mallinckrodt (2017) has a market capitalization of $35 million.
Mallinckrodt Plc, the maker of oxycodone, one of America’s most regularly prescribed opioids, agreed to pay the US government $35 million in April 2017 to resolve a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigation into the drug’s distribution.
Since at least 2011, the DEA has been investigating Mallinckrodt to see whether the corporation had failed to report questionable medication orders and maintain the necessary records and security measures. The Controlled Substances Act would be violated if these failures occurred.
Mallinckrodt avoided having to confess any wrongdoing by resolving the investigation. The firm was the topic of a lengthy editorial in the Washington Post headlined “The government’s fight to hold opioid producers responsible.”
Costco ($11.75 million in 2017)
Costco agreed to pay the US government $11.75 million in January 2017 to resolve Justice Department claims that the firm illegally filled prescriptions and failed to keep correct prescription medication records. Unlike the DEA’s investigation into Mallinckrodt, this one was thorough, and it discovered that Costco had filled prescriptions for unregistered and/or untrained physicians.
Unlike Mallinckrodt, Costco has admitted to violating the Controlled Substances Act between 2011 and 2013. Costco overhauled its pharmaceutical management system in 2012 to improve compliance.
“A company like Costco that distributes a significant volume of controlled substances has a responsibility to ensure it complies with regulations that help prevent opioids and other dangerous drugs from being misused or otherwise added to the illegal marketplace,” said Annette Hayes, US Attorney for the Western District of Washington.
McKesson (2017) has a market capitalization of $150 million.
McKesson Corp., America’s biggest medication distributor, agreed to pay the Justice Department $150 million in January 2017 to resolve claims that it failed to notice and report suspicious opioid orders. This was the world’s biggest fine of its kind.
According to the Washington Post,
The government accused McKesson, the fifth-largest firm in the United States, of failing to create and implement an effective system to identify “suspicious orders” for dangerous drugs like oxycodone from pharmacies, as required by the Controlled Substances Act. According to the Justice Department, McKesson completed more than 1.6 million controlled drug orders in Colorado from June 2008 to May 2013, yet just 16 of them from a single client were identified as suspicious.
McKesson also agreed to halt medicine sales at four of its distribution locations as part of the deal.
$44 million in 2017 for Cardinal Health
Cardinal Health agreed to pay $44 million to three states—Florida, Maryland, and New York—in January 2017 to resolve claims that it neglected to notify and rein in questionable opioid prescriptions.
Cardinal stated in the settlement that from 2009 to 2012, it did not comply with DEA reporting requirements in Florida and Maryland. In New York City, a subsidiary confessed to the same infraction.
This agreement also put to rest allegations that Cardinal had failed to keep necessary records for opioid prescriptions in Washington state, despite the fact that the corporation admitted no wrongdoing.
Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen had a $36 million deal in 2016.
Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen agreed to pay the state of West Virginia $20 million (Cardinal) and $16 million (Amerisource) to resolve a lawsuit over their claimed contributions to the state’s opioid problem in December 2016.
Over a six-year span, drug distributors inundated the state with 780 million hydrocodone and oxycodone tablets, resulting in 1,728 death overdoses.
The firms denied any wrongdoing, with Lauren Moyer of AmerisourceBergen declaring, “We are dedicated to the safe and proper supply of restricted medications.” We look forward to continuing to work carefully with regulatory authorities and our partners across the supply chain to prevent diversion and ensure proper access to drugs now that this situation has been resolved.”
According to the Charleston Gazette-Mail, during a six-year period, drug distributors inundated the state with 780 million hydrocodone and oxycodone tablets, resulting in 1,728 death overdoses. Cardinal Health was the company that supplied the most opioids to West Virginia, followed by AmerisourceBergen. (McKesson Corp. was the second-largest sender.)
Purdue Pharma – $24 million in 2015.
Purdue Pharma agreed to pay the state of Kentucky $24 million in December 2015 to resolve claims that it overstated the addictiveness of OxyContin. The money would go to addiction prevention and recovery programs, according to Attorney General Jack Conway.
“Purdue Pharma wrought chaos in Kentucky, and I am delighted it will be held responsible,” Mr. Conway said in a statement announcing the settlement. With OxyContin, Purdue started a fire of addiction that swept the state, and Kentucky is still suffering from the consequences.”
In Kentucky, approximately 1,100 people died from opioid overdoses in 2014. Purdue did not acknowledge any wrongdoing or culpability as part of the deal.
Cardinal Health – $34 million in 2008
Cardinal Health agreed to pay $34 million to seven US Attorney’s offices (in Florida, Texas, Washington, New Jersey, Georgia, California, and Colorado) in October 2008 to settle claims that company neglected to disclose questionable hydrocodone prescriptions. Many of the medicines were subsequently sold and consumed illegally after these orders were made online.
Cardinal said that he had committed no misconduct. “We settled this matter so that we could quickly resume the distribution of these vital medicines to our valued customers,” Cardinal CEO R. Kerry Clark said in a statement, “and we will continue to work with the DEA and other supply-chain partners to take all necessary steps to keep these powerful drugs out of the wrong hands.”
Over the following 10 years, Cardinal would settle other similar complaints.
McKesson – $13.25 million in 2008.
McKesson Corp. agreed to pay $13.25 million to state attorney offices in Florida, Maryland, Colorado, Texas, Utah, and California in May 2008 to settle civil charges that three McKesson facilities failed to report suspicious hydrocodone and alprazolam orders, particularly those placed online and given to customers without prescriptions.
“The McKesson Corporation fostered the country’s expanding prescription drug misuse issue.”
“By neglecting to report questionable orders for prohibited narcotics that it received from rogue Internet pharmacies, the McKesson Corporation exacerbated the exploding prescription drug addiction issue we have in this nation,” stated Michele M. Leonhart, the DEA’s Acting Administrator at the time.
McKesson said that he had committed no misconduct.
Purdue Pharma had a market capitalization of $620 million in 2007.
Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty in May 2007 to understating the addictiveness of OxyContin and agreed to pay at least $600 million in penalties. From the time it was approved by the FDA in 1995 until 2001, Purdue promoted OxyContin as a “low-risk” narcotic (when it dropped that label).
Purdue made $2.8 billion in sales from OxyContin between 1995 and 2001, approximately four times the total penalty.
Purdue’s misdeeds have had “staggering” effects, according to US Attorney John Brownlee for the Western District of Virginia.
Purdue agreed to pay $470 million to state and federal authorities, as well as at least $130 million to plaintiffs and lawyers in civil actions brought against the business. (Hundreds of similar cases have previously been rejected by Purdue.)
Purdue agreed to pay $19.5 million to 26 states and Washington, D.C. in a separate settlement the same week to satisfy allegations that it pushed over-prescriptions of OxyContin.
Purdue made $2.8 billion in sales from OxyContin between 1995 and 2001, approximately four times the total penalty.
The “purdue pharma settlement for individuals 2021” is a lawsuit settlement that was reached in the United States. This settlement will result in Purdue paying $24 million to settle lawsuits with the state of Oklahoma and other states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much money will I get from Purdue Pharma settlement?
A: What is the current settlement for Purdue Pharma?
What is an opioid lawsuit?
A: An opioid lawsuit is a class-action lawsuit against the company that manufactures or distributes an opioid medication. The suit seeks damages, court costs and attorneys fees for people who have been injured by opioids in their jurisdictions.
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