PITTSBURGH — Allegheny County and the city of Pittsburgh on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against eight pharmaceutical companies that are opioid manufacturers and distributors.
The lawsuit asks for punitive and compensatory damages, as well as a permanent injunction to prevent the companies from “engaging in the acts and practices that led to the opioid crisis,” a news release said.
The companies listed in the lawsuit are:
- Purdue Pharma LP
- Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
- Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
- Endo Health Solutions Inc.
- Mallinckrodt, plc
- Cardinal Health, Inc.
- McKesson Corporation
- AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation
TRENDING NOW:
- Woman breaks down before pleading guilty to stabbing teen cousin to death, sentenced to 20 years
- Woman shot, killed in mother's driveway identified
- Two dead after man tries to save drowning woman, toddler off Georgia beach
- VIDEO: Parents, Students Upset After Caged Tiger Displayed at Prom
Among other things, the lawsuit claims that the companies created a public nuisance, violated the Pennsylvania Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, made fraudulent and negligent misrepresentations and civilly conspired to increase their sales, revenues and profits.
According to the lawsuit the companies falsely trivialized, mischaracterized and failed to disclose the known serious risks of addiction -- and falsely described addiction as pseudo addiction and dangerously encouraged doctors to respond by prescribing more opioids.
Additional allegations against the companies include the following:
- Overstating the benefits of chronic opioid therapy while failing to disclose the lack of evidence supporting long-term use
- Continuing to tell doctors that opioids could be taken in ever higher doses without disclosing their greater risks
- Deliberately disregarding their duties to report suspicious orders and to exercise reasonable care
- Hiding their lack of cooperation with law enforcement and falsely claiming to be actively working to prevent diversion
- Increasing opioid prescriptions and use, collectively fueling the opioid epidemic and significantly harming Allegheny County citizens
- Fraudulently concealing their misconduct
There have been more than 3,500 overdose deaths in Allegheny County since 2008, officials said. In the past eight years, Pittsburgh has seen more than 1,000 opioid-related deaths.
Pittsburgh and Allegheny County join a growing list of local governments that are fighting drug companies.
Beaver, Greene, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties have all filed their own lawsuits against opioid manufacturers.
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
