Insys, an opioid manufacturer, is set to pay half a million dollars to bring an end to a major fentanyl lawsuit filed against the company in Massachusetts state court.

Fentanyl is a powerful opioid medication used to treat severe pain. According to the fentanyl lawsuit, Insys marketed a version of the opioid fentanyl in a spray form in a manner so misleading as to be illegal.

Indeed, the lawsuit alleges that Insys marketed its fentanyl product known as Subsys as safe to treat mild pain for patients without cancer. This, the fentanyl lawsuit claims, was misleading and dangerous.

“Fentanyl is a powerful and highly addictive drug with deadly consequences, yet this opioid maker aggressively marketed its product and made illegal payments to providers to boost sales,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey in a statement. “Drug companies cannot endanger the health and safety of patients to increase their own profits.”

Healey’s office found in an investigation conducted between 2012 and 2014 that Insys promoted its fentanyl product for use with “mild” pain. Actual studies, the investigation found, indicated that the drug should really only be considered safe for “moderate to severe” pain in patients with cancer.

Prosecutors on the case have also claimed that Insys used incentives to encourage employees to market Subsys—perhaps at the cost of marketing it to those who it might not really be safe for.

A $500,000 settlement has been reached, bringing an end to the allegations brought forward in the fentanyl lawsuit. The other part of the settlement agreement requires that Insys will stop marketing the drug for such unapproved and unsafe uses.

Background of the Opioid Epidemic

Opioid painkillers are often prescribed to treat pain, they actually belong to the same class of drugs as heroin. Their job is to reduce the number of pain signals that the body sends to the brain. Unfortunately, they can end up causing patients to feel an addictive euphoria. Opioid addiction isn’t necessarily something that happens from misuse of the drug—even just taking opioids at the direction of the doctor can quickly lead to addiction, and can ruin people’s lives and put them in danger of serious injuries.

As the big pharma opioid epidemic grows ever more concerning, state attorneys general have begun looking at pharmaceutical companies themselves, in a similar manner to how the tobacco industry was targeted back in the 1990s.

Opioid abuse can lead to a number of injuries, the most obvious of which is opioid addiction. Other problems include serotonin syndrome, androgen deficiency, adrenal insufficiency, overdose, and even death.

Filing an Opioid Epidemic Lawsuit

Lawsuits over the opioid epidemic have been filed against companies from all over the country, including in Ohio, New Hampshire, New York, Chicago, Oregon, and California. Dozens of different opioids are involved in these lawsuits.

If you or someone you love has suffered from an opioid addiction because of a painkiller prescribed by your doctor, you may be able to file a lawsuit. While a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by addiction, it can help to alleviate some of the accompanying financial burden.

In general, opioid addiction lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual opioid addictino lawsuit or opioid addiction class action lawsuit is best for you. Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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