South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson filed suit against Purdue Pharma Tuesday, alleging the OxyContin manufacturer conducted deceptive opioid marketing in the state.
The lawsuit alleges Purdue violated the state's Unfair Trade Practices Act, broke the terms of a 2007 court settlement and created a public nuisance. Specifically, the suit argues Purdue downplayed the addictive qualities of its opioid products since 2007 after three Purdue executives pled guilty to charges regarding the deceptive marketing of opioids and reached civil settlements with South Carolina, 25 other states and the District of Columbia.
"This suit seeks to hold Purdue accountable for creating this crisis and seeks remedies to stop its misleading, deceptive and dangerous marketing tactics," Mr. Wilson said. "While there is a time and place for patients to receive opioids, Purdue prevented doctors and patients from receiving complete and accurate information about opioids in order to make informed choices about their treatment options."
Purdue denied the lawsuit's claims in an emailed statement to Becker's.
"While we vigorously deny the allegations, we share South Carolina officials' concerns about the opioid crisis, and we are committed to working collaboratively to find solutions," Purdue spokesman John Puskar told Becker's. "OxyContin accounts for less than 2 percent of the opioid analgesic prescription market nationally, but we are an industry leader in the development of abuse-deterrent technology, advocating for the use of prescription drug monitoring programs and supporting access to naloxone — all important components for combating the opioid crisis."
More than 3,000 residents of South Carolina have died from prescription opioid overdoses since 2011. Last week, New Hampshire's attorney general filed a similar suit against Purdue Pharma.
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