Endo New York Settlement Announcement

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced an agreement with Endo Health Solutions, Inc. and Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (collectively, "Endo"), which make and sell Opana ER, a long-acting opioid. Opana, one of Endo's prescription drugs, was long abused in New York State. In May 2011, for example, after a spike in opioid prescribing and abuse, Nassau County issued a Public Health Alert on the increasing use and abuse of Opana ER, warning both the public and law enforcement of the dangers associated with the prescription drug. In July 2012, USA Today reported that Opana ER was actually the drug of choice for people seeking narcotics, and that in Nassau County, hundreds of people each month were seeking treatment for addiction to Opana ER. As a result of concerns regarding both Opana ER's role in the larger opioid abuse epidemic and Endo's marketing practices, the Office of the Attorney General opened an investigation into Endo, focusing on Opana ER. The Attorney General found that Endo improperly marketed Opana ER as designed to be crush resistant, when Endo's own studies actually showed that the pill could be crushed and ground up. While this may have bolstered Opana ER sales, it also may have provided a false sense of security to healthcare providers and their patients. The Attorney General also found that Endo improperly instructed its sales representatives to diminish and distort risks associated with Opana ER, including serious dangers involving addiction...
Source: Policy and Medicine - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs