District Court Dismisses Chicago's Painkiller Marketing Lawsuit Against Four of Five Opioid Manufacturers; Purdue Pharma Still on the Hook

District Court Judge Jorge Alonso of the Northern District of Illinois recently dismissed the City of Chicago’s lawsuit against four out of five pharmaceutical manufacturers that the city accused of marketing opioids in violation of Illinois’ consumer fraud laws and for causing doctors and pharmacies to submit, and the city to pay, claims that were false. Judge Alonso found the majority of allegations lacked the necessary specificity needed for a successful case. For example, while the City alleged fraudulent marketing schemes in fairly good detail, the complaint failed to mention the names of Chicago doctors or consumers who were specifically misled by the drug companies’ various promotional campaigns. The city’s case against Purdue Pharma LP and their product Oxycontin will continue, and the city has thirty days to amend their claims against Teva (for their products, Actiq and Fentora), Janssen Pharmaceuticals (Duragesic, Nucyntam Ultracet, and Ultram), Endo (Opana, Percocet, and Percodan) and Actavis (Kadian and generic opioids). Back in June of 2014, in announcing the lawsuit, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanual stated: For years, big pharma has deceived the public about the true risks and benefits of highly potent and highly addictive painkillers in order to expand their customer base and increase their bottom line. This has led to a dramatic rise in drug addiction, overdose and diversion in communities across the nation, and Chicago is not immune to this epidemicâ€...
Source: Policy and Medicine - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs