A number of states have filed their own lawsuits against pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors: Oklahoma, Missouri, Ohio, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Mexico and South Carolina. None of these states is involved in the broader multistate investigation.
A coalition of 41 states' attorneys general are investigating opioid companies. "Too often, prescription opioids are the on-ramp to addiction," one says. Many of the companies say they are working with governments.
Subutex, the brand name for buprenorphine, is taken as a tablet placed under the tongue and allowed to dissolve. The brand Suboxone is a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, an opioid antagonist. Antagonists block the opiate receptors in the brain, keeping the narcotic from creating the high abusers crave.
In June, the Food and Drug Administration requested that Opana ER manufacturer Endo Pharmaceuticals pull the drug from the market. It was the first time the agency has asked that a opioid pain medication be pulled "due to the public health consequences of abuse.". Endo announced in July that it would pull the drug.
Hydrocodone is the most frequently prescribed opioid painkiller, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the most abused. An overdose of hydrocodone can cause "cold and clammy skin, severely constricted pupils, and slow breathing that can lead to a loss of consciousness and death.".
Oxymorphone hydrochloride —. Oxymorphone hydrochloride , under the name Opana ER, was at the center of an HIV outbreak in Indiana in 2015. Some addicts began injecting and shared needles increased the spread of HIV.
The brand Suboxone is a combination of buprenorphine and naloxone, an opioid antagonist. Antagonists block the opiate receptors in the brain, keeping the narcotic from creating the high abusers crave. Prescription and illegal opioids are commonly abused because they are so addictive.
The investigative subpoenas and document requests were served Monday to pharmaceutical manufacturers Endo International, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd./Cephalon Inc. and Allergan. The group also served a supplemental investigative subpoena to Purdue Pharma.
Allergan said Tuesday that "While we work proactively with (state attorneys general) offices to provide information, it is important to put into perspective Allergan's role regarding opioids. Allergan's two branded opioid products -- Norco and Kadian -- account for less than 0.08% of all opioid products prescribed in 2016 in the U.S.
The pharmaceutical industry already faces dozens of lawsuits brought by cities, counties and states — including Ohio, Missouri and Oklahoma. Some are trying to recoup the costs incurred from the surge in emergency response from spikes in opioid-related overdoses.
Now, the state prosecutors say they will examine whether the industry was complicit in creating the epidemic and whether it should now be responsible for helping pay for the damage caused to many communities.