States Urge Purdue Pharma to Protect OxyContin Patients — And Its Assets

Two dozen states are urging Purdue Pharma to consider specific actions to protect OxyContin patients, including discontinuing the 80 mg OxyContin dose.

In a filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, the states — who are not satisfied with Purdue’s proposed $10 billion bankruptcy settlement — detailed possible actions the company could take to protect patients and also protect its assets by reducing its exposure to future claims.

Other steps the company could take include: providing the overdose treatment Naloxone for patients who have been taking higher-doses OxyContin for a long time; helping to transition patients off high-dose forms of the drug; and transitioning patients to less-dangerous pain management options, such as nonpharmacological therapy.

“Unless effective measures are taken, thousands of Purdue patients will die of overdoses during this case,” the states said.