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 New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas accused Purdue Pharma
LP, Johnson & Johnson, Allergan Plc, Endo International Plc and Teva
Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd of pushing addictive painkillers
through deceptive marketing.
The lawsuit also accused wholesale distributors McKesson Corp,
Cardinal Health Inc and AmerisourceBergen Corp of breaching their
legal duties to monitor, detect and report suspicious orders of
prescription opioids.
"New Mexico continues to endure the most catastrophic effects of the
opioid crisis, all while major out of state corporations make
billions in profits at the expense of our families and communities,"
Balderas said in a statement.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
opioids were involved in over 33,000 deaths in 2015, the latest year
for which data is available. The death rate has continued rising,
according to estimates.
The lawsuit followed a wave of cases against drugmakers by Oklahoma,
Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, New Hampshire and South Carolina, as
well as several cities and counties in states including California,
Illinois and New York.
The drug wholesalers have likewise faced litigation, particularly in
West Virginia, where several county commissions and cities have the
three main ones, following lawsuits filed by the state's attorney
general.
New Mexico's lawsuit, filed in the First Judicial District Court in
Santa Fe County, contended that the drugmakers downplayed the risks
of addiction to prescription opioids and falsely touted the benefits
of their long-term use.
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It also accused the wholesale distributors of violating their duties
by selling large amounts of painkillers that were then diverted for
illicit uses, helping to contribute to the opioid epidemic.
The lawsuit seeks damages, including for the costs New Mexico has
incurred responding to the epidemic.
The companies have in similar cases denied wrongdoing. The
drugmakers have said they acted responsibly in connection with
marketing the drugs, which carry U.S. Food and Drug
Administration-approved labels warning about their risks.
"While we vigorously deny the allegations, we share public
officials’ concerns about the opioid crisis and we are committed to
working collaboratively to find solutions," Purdue, the maker of
OxyContin, said in a statement.
Cardinal Health in a statement called the lawsuit "misguided,"
saying it was "launched in haste and without any factual
investigation to support it."
(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Dan Grebler)
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