Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum filed a lawsuit against opioid manufacturer, Endo Health Solutions and Endo Pharmaceuticals for deceptively marketing their powerful opioid, Opana, for more than a decade in Oregon.
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The complaint alleges that Endo misrepresented the risks and benefits of Opana, which is an extendedrelease opioid like Purdue Pharma’s OxyContin and has since been pulled from the market.
“The link between an opioid prescription, opioid abuse and opioid overdose is, sadly, well documented. Endo was, in essence, copying Purdue Pharma’s deceptive ‘playbook’ with similar devastating results. This is why we’re suing them today,†said Attorney General Rosenblum.
“Oregon has been hit very hard by the opioid epidemic, and I am determined to make sure that no stone is unturned as we seek justice for the countless Oregonians and their families who have been impacted.â€
Oregon DOJ began investigating Endo in March 2016. By 2017, Oregon joined other states in a multistate investigation and took on a leadership role.
However, the Attorney General ultimately decided it was necessary to file a complaint on behalf of Oregon, and on October 4, 2021 the state gave notice of its intent to sue Endo.
Oregon’s lawsuit highlights the connection between legal action against Purdue Pharma, the manufacturers of Oxycontin, and Endo.
The complaint states in part: “Purdue Pharma (“Purdueâ€) created the playbook for those deceptive and aggressive marketing practices in the 1990s.
When Purdue released OxyContin in 1996, Purdue spent millions of dollars on aggressive marketing campaigns promoting its message that opioids were a safe and effective treatments for chronic pain…Endo saw the situation as a financial opportunity.
Defendants knew that in the aftermath of Purdue and its executives’ crimes, health care providers would be wary about prescribing Purdue’s drug, OxyContin. Endo wanted its drug, Opana ER, to be the opioid to replace it.†■