dailycaller
Steve Birr
Vice Reporter
4:55 PM 02/07/2018
[excerpt]
http://dailycaller.com/2018/02/07/oxycontin-makers-hit-with-another-lawsuit-as-alabama-joins-opioid-fight/Officials in Alabama are suing the makers of the painkiller OxyContin, accusing the company of deceiving the public about the risks of opioids in pursuit of profits.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall filed the lawsuit in federal court Tuesday, which seeks to hold Purdue Pharma liable for the economic damage of the opioid epidemic in the state. Hundreds of residents in Alabama die from opioid-related overdoses each year, leading to a drop in the overall life expectancy in the state, reports NPR.
Marshall argues that the early marketing practices of Purdue Pharma surrounding their drug OxyContin opened the doors for the pharmaceutical industry to push overprescribing of painkillers for chronic pain patients.