Health News
- Conway Says Ruling In His Oxycontin Lawsuit Means He Will Seek Settlement Of $100 Million Or More
Attorney General Jack Conway says he wants Purdue Pharma to settle for $100 million or more after it missed a deadline to respond to his arguments in his lawsuit over the marketing of Oxycontin, Nick Strom reports for cn|2, a news service of Time...
- Fda Requires Oxycontin Pills To Be Non-crushable To Deter Abuse
The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it would block generic, crushable versions of OxyContin from coming to the market and approve the reformulated, non-crushable OxyContin, which deters abuse of the powerful painkiller. U.S. Senate...
- Fda Could Require Tamper-resistant Painkillers; Without Such Action, Prescription-drug Abuse Problem Would Worsen
UPDATE, Jan. 14 : Laura Ungar of The Courier-Journal reports, "Addicts by the scores used to get a quick and easy high from snorting or shooting up the powerful narcotic OxyContin ? until manufacturer Purdue Pharma developed a new version that?s harder...
- Painkiller Epidemic Was Driven In Part By Drug Makers' Financial Relationships With Researchers Who Discounted The Risks
For almost a decade, medical officials and experts claimed OxyContin rarely posed problems of addiction for patients. The drug's label, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration, said addiction risks were small. Research published...
- Fla. Governor Agrees To Implement Prescription Drug Monitoring
"Florida Gov. Rick Scott reversed course Thursday and said he will allow a prescription drug monitoring program that Kentucky officials have demanded to help block the flow of illegal prescription drugs coming from the Sunshine State," the Lexington Herald-Leader...
Health News
Pike County settles its part of Oxycontin lawsuit against Purdue Pharma for $4 million; state remains a plaintiff
Officials of Pike County, Kentucky, announced this week that Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, will pay $4 million to settle the county's part of a lawsuit the county and state filed in 2007 seeking damages for the addiction OxyContin caused "after the company aggressively marketed it to doctors as a safe option for pain relief," Russ Cassady reports for the Appalachian News-Express in Pikeville.
The state remains a plaintiff in the suit, which is largely based on admissions of guilt made by the company and several top-ranking company officials in a May 2007 Virginia federal court settlement. Purdue Pharma, its president, chief legal counsel and former medical director pleaded guilty to misleading doctors, regulators and patients about OxyContin during that case.
The nation's prescription-drug epidemic apparently began in Central Appalachia, largely because of the introduction and high rate of prescription of OxyContin. The lawsuit sought reimbursement for drug-abuse programs, law-enforcement actions and prescription payments through Medicaid and the Kentucky Pharmaceutical Alliance Program. The local officials indicated the settlement could increase the size of a planned rehabilitation facility for people convicted of drug charges.
The state remains a plaintiff in the suit, which is largely based on admissions of guilt made by the company and several top-ranking company officials in a May 2007 Virginia federal court settlement. Purdue Pharma, its president, chief legal counsel and former medical director pleaded guilty to misleading doctors, regulators and patients about OxyContin during that case.
The nation's prescription-drug epidemic apparently began in Central Appalachia, largely because of the introduction and high rate of prescription of OxyContin. The lawsuit sought reimbursement for drug-abuse programs, law-enforcement actions and prescription payments through Medicaid and the Kentucky Pharmaceutical Alliance Program. The local officials indicated the settlement could increase the size of a planned rehabilitation facility for people convicted of drug charges.
- Conway Says Ruling In His Oxycontin Lawsuit Means He Will Seek Settlement Of $100 Million Or More
Attorney General Jack Conway says he wants Purdue Pharma to settle for $100 million or more after it missed a deadline to respond to his arguments in his lawsuit over the marketing of Oxycontin, Nick Strom reports for cn|2, a news service of Time...
- Fda Requires Oxycontin Pills To Be Non-crushable To Deter Abuse
The Food and Drug Administration announced Tuesday that it would block generic, crushable versions of OxyContin from coming to the market and approve the reformulated, non-crushable OxyContin, which deters abuse of the powerful painkiller. U.S. Senate...
- Fda Could Require Tamper-resistant Painkillers; Without Such Action, Prescription-drug Abuse Problem Would Worsen
UPDATE, Jan. 14 : Laura Ungar of The Courier-Journal reports, "Addicts by the scores used to get a quick and easy high from snorting or shooting up the powerful narcotic OxyContin ? until manufacturer Purdue Pharma developed a new version that?s harder...
- Painkiller Epidemic Was Driven In Part By Drug Makers' Financial Relationships With Researchers Who Discounted The Risks
For almost a decade, medical officials and experts claimed OxyContin rarely posed problems of addiction for patients. The drug's label, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration, said addiction risks were small. Research published...
- Fla. Governor Agrees To Implement Prescription Drug Monitoring
"Florida Gov. Rick Scott reversed course Thursday and said he will allow a prescription drug monitoring program that Kentucky officials have demanded to help block the flow of illegal prescription drugs coming from the Sunshine State," the Lexington Herald-Leader...