Joanna Szabo  |  April 24, 2018

Category: Legal News

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opioid addiction overdose death pills in blister packAcross the country, opioid painkillers have risen as a serious source of addiction and risk of deaths from overdose. Some states have responded by filing lawsuits against opioid manufacturers, for their role in creating and sustaining the opioid epidemic. Arkansas has become the latest state to join litigation against opioid manufacturers.

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge filed an opioid addiction lawsuit in March against three major drugmakers, alleging that they promoted addictive opioids while misrepresenting or even denying their actual risks. The drugmakers hit in this opioid addiction lawsuit are Purdue Pharma LP, Johnson & Johnson, and Endo International PLC.

According to the opioid addiction lawsuit, these drugmakers used misleading marketing practices to misrepresent opioids as safer and less addicting than they actually are. Indeed, the opioid addiction lawsuit claims that the companies spent millions on marketing that downplayed the very serious risks of their opioids, while emphasizing their superiority and efficacy.

“The reckless actions of these opioid manufacturers have wreaked havoc upon Arkansas and her citizens for far too long,” said Attorney General Rutledge in a statement.

Background of the Opioid Epidemic

Opioids are prescribed to treat pain, but they are also extremely addictive because they produce a sense of euphoria. They work by reducing the number of pain signals that the body sends to the brain. Though opioids are often advertised as being safe and effective painkillers, they are actually in the same class of drugs as heroin. Unfortunately, these drugs can become extremely addictive, extremely quickly, even when administered under proper medical supervision.

The opioid epidemic is growing more and more widespread. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports opioids were the cause of more than 42,000 deaths from overdose in 2016 alone. According to the CDC, opioid deaths from overdose have quadrupled since just 1999, a statistic that is tied closely with the increase in sales during that time. Indeed, around 183,000 people have died from opioid overdoses between 1999 and 2015.

Addiction to opioids isn’t necessarily something that happens from misuse of these drugs—even taking opioids at the direction of one’s doctor can quickly lead to addiction. 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 Addiction Lawsuit

Lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies over opioid addiction and overdose have been filed from all over the country, including in Ohio, New Hampshire, New York, Chicago, Oregon, California, and now Arkansas. A slew of different opioids and their manufacturers and distributors are involved in these lawsuits.

If you or someone you love have suffered from opioid addiction or deaths from overdose because of a painkiller prescribed by your doctor, you may be able to join the growing number of opioid epidemic lawsuits. While an opioid addiction lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by opioid addiction and overdose, 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.

If you or a loved one developed an opioid addiction from a prescription painkiller, you may qualify to file an opioid addiction lawsuit or a painkiller addiction class action lawsuit. Get help by filling out the form on this page. It’s absolutely free to participate, so act now!

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