‘They Need to See the Families.’ Loved Ones of Overdose Victims Rally at Purdue Pharma Hearing

(BOSTON) — Parents who lost children to fatal overdoses and other addiction recovery activists are rallying outside a Boston courthouse Friday as a judge hears arguments in Massachusetts’ lawsuit against Purdue Pharma over its role in the national drug epidemic. About 100 protesters gathered in front of Suffolk County Superior Court before the start of the hearing, placing poster boards filled with photos of hundreds of overdose victims on the courthouse steps. One bore the words “Always loved, never forgotten.” Another: “We march for those who can’t.” A full-size skeleton covered with empty prescription pill bottles was also set up, and many gathered on the court’s brick plaza held up their own large signs with images of their dead loved ones. Cheryl Juaire, a mother from Marlborough, Massachusetts, whose 23-year-old son Corey Merrill died of an overdose in 2011, said activists want to continue to put a spotlight on Purdue Pharma and the wealthy Sackler family that owns it for their roles in sparking the opioid crisis with the prescription painkiller OxyContin. “They need to see the families,” she said. “They need to be held accountable for the deaths of our children. We need restitution.” Purdue Pharma is arguing Friday that Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey’s lawsuit should be dismissed because it distorts facts and statements and makes oversimplified claims in order to scapegoat the c...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Courts Massachusetts onetime Source Type: news