New York Sues Purdue Over Fraudulent Claims for Opioids

Purdue Pharma violated a 2015 agreement with New York by deceptively marketing opioids, including Oxycontin, New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood alleges in a new lawsuit.

According to the complaint, the company “misrepresented the ease with which withdrawals from its products can be managed, overhyped the risks of alternative, less addictive pain relief therapies and promoted the scientifically dubious idea that apparent symptoms of addiction were in fact ‘pseudoaddiction’ that could be treated with larger dosages of opioids.”

The lawsuit charges the misconduct continued even after Purdue pleaded guilty to criminal conduct in 2007 and entered into an Assurance of Discontinuance with the AG’s office in 2015.  The investigation “found a pattern of deception and reckless disregard for New Yorkers’ health and wellbeing,” Underwood said. “We’re now holding Purdue to account for this reprehensible and illegal conduct. Our work won’t stop with this lawsuit: our office will continue to lead the multistate investigation of opioid manufacturers and distributors across the country.”