The state of Alaska is filing a massive Oxycontin lawsuit against Purdue Pharmaceuticals Inc., alleging the company had a direct hand in the state’s opioid crisis. This Oxycontin lawsuit is being brought forward by the state’s Attorney General on behalf of the state and its citizens.

The Oxycontin lawsuit alleges that while Alaska citizens were seeking treatment for heroin addiction, many were prescribed opioids for pain. Even though the pills helped with the pain, the residents reportedly returned to heroin to quell their addiction after the opioid prescription ended or the drugs became too expensive.

According to providers from addiction treatment programs across Alaska, up to 90% of the heroin patients had no previous exposure to opioids. The state’s health statistics indicate that opioid overdoses have become common, with Alaska seeing 66 fatal doses in 2011 and 96 deaths by 2016.

Over those six years, 475 opioid deaths were reported and the number continues to rise. With so many opioid and heroin overdoses, Alaska hospitals and healthcare providers are struggling to contend with the effects of the opioid crisis.

Healthcare professionals report that patients have threatened violence or suicide if they are not given opioids, with one doctor describing the opioid crisis as a part of the daily routine for the hospital.

Overview of Oxycontin Lawsuit

The Oxycontin lawsuit alleges the epidemic is “iatrogenic,” which is an illness or injury caused by medical treatment. This essentially asserts that the opioid epidemic was directly caused by the powerful pain medications that did nothing to help treat addicts but instead increased drug dependency for heroin addicts.

The state of Alaska ultimately alleges that Purdue Pharmaceuticals knew of the dangerous nature of its opioid medications, but did nothing to warn patients about them. Instead, Purdue allegedly downplayed the risk of potential addiction and claimed that there were no risks associated with long-term use.

According to the FDA and DEA, medical evidence indicates that Oxycontin and other opioids are highly addictive in nature. The Oxycontin lawsuit alleges Purdue Pharmaceuticals directly contributed to this epidemic, deliberately offering false marketing statements to ensure a growing amount of prescribing patients.

The company reportedly made statements that the medications would help with “improving patients’ ability to function and quality of life” while failing to disclose potential long-term health problems. Purdue also allegedly lied to doctors, stating that Oxycontin lasted for 12 hours when the company knew that was not the case for many patients, who would take even more pills to make up the difference.

Governor Bill Walker issued a Declaration of Disaster Emergency on Feb. 14, 2017, due to the opioid addiction epidemic overtaking the state. Governor Walker compared the opioid epidemic to a natural disaster, due to the massive amount of resources needed to treat patients and provide proper rehabilitation services.

This Oxycontin lawsuit is seeking multiple damages from Purdue, including the millions of dollars in compensation for opioid addiction treatment. This includes any relevant spending from social services such as rehabilitation or emergency services.

This Oxycontin Lawsuit is State of Alaska v. Purdue Pharmaceuticals Inc., et al., in the Superior Court for the State of Alaska Third Judicial District in Anchorage.

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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