An Ohio appeals court has upheld a lower court decision that a statewide class action suit can proceed against Purdue Pharma, manufacturer of the controversial painkiller oxycodone (OxyContin). “The court of appeals clearly found ... evidence that OxyContin has ruined lives,” said Stanley Chesley, counsel for the plaintiffs.
The company has been accused of aggressively promoting OxyContin even though it is highly addictive. Purdue Pharma's lawyers plan to appeal the decision, which they contend is “contrary to the facts.” (See figure for amount spent on pharmaceutical promotions in the US.)
OxyContin has been named in lawsuits across the US, and about 30 have already been dismissed. The Ohio case is believed to be the first granted class-action status.
OxyContin has earned the nickname “hillbilly heroin” because of its popularity in poor regions of the US, where overdoses have claimed more than 100 lives. Although the pills operate on a controlled-release principle, drug abusers circumvent this by crushing them and then either injecting or “snorting” the resulting powder. — CMAJ