One billion dollars. That is how much the makers of OxyContin are being sued for by the state of Kentucky.
Kentucky is a state that has been rampaged by OxyContin addiction. The government there is blaming Purdue Pharma LP, the makers of OxyContin, for creating an environment of drug abuse. According to Bloomberg.com
The Kentucky suit alleges that (Purdue) trained its sales force to falsely portray OxyContin as difficult to abuse, even though its own study found a drug abuser could extract most of the active ingredient from a tablet by crushing it.
This is not the first time Purdue has been taken to court over OxyContin. In May of 2014, CitizensReport.org reported that the state of California was suing OxyContin for a marketing “campaign of deception.”
Hillbilly Heroin
Drug addicts were quick to discover that OxyContin had serious potential for abuse. The time-release system OxyContin pills employed could be circumvented by crushing the pills. Addicts could then snort or inject the crushed pills to get high. A slang term popped up for this form of drug abuse: hillbilly heroin.
OxyContin quickly became an epidemic. Areas, such as those in eastern Kentucky, became overrun with crime, illness and deaths.
The Strength of Addiction
The following video shows how quickly the addictive nature of abused OxyContin can overtake someone’s life. In the video, you learn about the one-month transformation of a model citizen into a criminal.
Legal Outlook
Purdue Pharma do not believe they can receive a fair case in Kentucky. They have long tried to move the case out of state, but their efforts have been unsuccessful. The case will happen and it will be in Kentucky, unless if Purdue offers the state a very large out-of-court settlement. It may be in the best interest to take a sizeable loss in the form of a settlement, opposed to going to court, because a $1 billion penalty could cripple Purdue’s enterprise.
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