Hundreds of cities and counties plus Native American tribes in the United States are suing the billionaire Sackler family and Purdue Pharma LP for triggering the lethal opioid crisis that now kills more than 100 Americans daily and killed more than 49,000 persons in the U.S. in 2017.
Today, drug overdose is the leading cause of death among Americans under 50, according to government data. Opioids account for over two-thirds of these deaths.
Owned by the Sacklers, Purdue Pharma developed and marketed the opioid pain reliever OxyContin, which experts agree is the driving force behind the deadly opioid crisis sweeping the U.S. for a decade now.
Media reports said more than 600 entities in 28 states, including eight tribes, filed the lawsuit against eight members of the Sackler family. The suit alleges the Sacklers amassed a fortune through their ownership of Purdue Pharma by using deceptive marketing to sell OxyContin.
"Eight people in a single family made the choices that caused much of the opioid epidemic," according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit also alleges the Sackler family "had the power to decide how addictive narcotics were sold" because they controlled the privately held drug company.
"They got more patients on opioids, at higher doses, for longer, than ever before. They paid themselves billions of dollars. They are responsible for addiction, overdose, and death that damaged millions of lives. They should be held accountable now," said the lawsuit.
The suit requests the Sacklers issue "corrective advertising statements" in national and regional publications, medical journals, television shows and websites among other actions. It doesn't specify any request for monetary damages, however.
The lawsuit said the Sackler family is worth some $13 billion, partly due to the success of their deceptive marketing of OxyContin. Government data shows Purdue Pharma hosted over 40 promotional conferences as part of the company's "Partners Against Pain" campaign to boost OxyContin sales.
Sackler family members such as former Purdue CEO Richard Sackler allegedly promoted the drug for unapproved uses, claims the lawsuit. Experts said Purdue trained its sales force to convey the message the risk of addiction from OxyContin was under one percent. This flat out falsehood influenced the prescribing habits of doctors that attended these conferences.
Purdue sales people were also instructed to tell doctors the painkillers were not addictive and could help an "enhanced lifestyle."
The plaintiffs in the new lawsuit also say the economic cost to the U.S. of the opioid epidemic amounted to $504 billion in 2015.
A representative for Dr. Mortimer Sackler and Raymond Sackler, the late founders of the company, denied the allegations in the lawsuit, calling them "baseless" and saying they "place blame where it does not belong for a complex public health crisis."
