Osceola County first in state to file suit against 21 pharmaceutical companies for opioid crisis

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Osceola County is the first in Florida to move forward with a lawsuit against 21 pharmaceutical companies.

Leaders say ads by these companies were inducing consumers to buy addictive drugs.

Those behind the lawsuit said this is all a case of corporate greed, where the companies care more about profit more than the well-being of consumers.

Among the companies being sued is Purdue Pharmaceuticals, the maker of OxyContin.

Purdue Pharmaceuticals released the following statement:

"We are deeply troubled by the prescription and illicit opioid abuse crisis, and are dedicated to being part of the solution. As a company grounded in science, we must balance patient access to FDA-approved medicines, while working collaboratively to solve this public health challenge. Although our products account for approximately 2% of the total opioid prescriptions, as a company, we've distributed the CDC Guideline for Prescribing the Opioids for Chronic Pain, developed three of the first four FDA-approved opioid medications with abuse-deterrent properties and partner with law enforcement to ensure access to naloxone.  We vigorously deny these allegations and look forward to the opportunity to present our defense."

The county claims in the lawsuit the opioid crisis is costing taxpayers money.

On the streets of Osceola County, the grip of opioid addiction is strong.

“Coming off it, you get very sick, bone aches, diarrhea, nausea. It’s a horrible, horrible drug,” said Dr. Tom Griffin.

Griffin runs the Transition House, a treatment facility based in St. Cloud.

He believes the opioid problem is worse than crack cocaine ever was, with some people moving from pain pills to heroin and even fentanyl.

“As you mix heroin with fentanyl it’s a lethal concoction,” said Griffin.

County officials call it a crisis and argues drug companies put their desires for making money above the health and well-being of customers by using a deceptive and unfair marketing campaign to get doctors and patients to use the powerful pain pulls to treat chronic pain long term, rather than just short term as was originally intended.

The county said the opioid problem has resulted in increased costs for healthcare, law enforcement, courts and emergency crews, which now carry the drug Narcan to fight overdoses.

It hopes the lawsuit will force the drugmakers to cover those costs and change the way they do business.

Teva Pharmaceuticals, also named in the lawsuit, released the following statement:

"Teva is committed to the appropriate use of opioid medicines, and we recognize the critical public health issues impacting communities across the U.S. as a result of illegal drug use as well as the misuse and abuse of opioids that are available legally by prescription. To that end, we take a multi-faceted approach to this complex issue;  we work to educate communities and healthcare providers on appropriate medicine use and prescribing, we comply closely with all relevant federal and state regulations regarding these medicines, and, through our R&D pipeline, we are developing non-opioid treatments that have the potential to bring relief to patients in chronic pain. Teva also collaborates closely with other stakeholders, including providers and prescribers, regulators, public health officials and patient advocates, to understand how to prevent prescription drug abuse without sacrificing patients' needed access to pain medicine."

Another company named in the lawsuit, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, said they believe the claims against the company "are both legally and factually unfounded."

"Janssen has acted in the best interests of patients and physicians with regard to its opioid pain medicines, which are FDA-approved and carry FDA-mandated warnings about possible risks on every product label," wrote Jessica Castles Smith, a company spokeswoman.

"According to independent surveillance data, Janssen opioid pain medicines consistently have some of the lowest rates of abuse among these medications, and since 2008 the volume of Janssen opioid products always has amounted to less than one percent of the total prescriptions written per year for opioid medications, including generics. Addressing opioid abuse will require collaboration among many stakeholders and we will continue to work with federal, state and local officials to support solutions."

Cox Media Group