OpioidRights.com

Helping victims of the opioid crisis.

BREAKING: Purdue files for bankruptcy

Legal Team Fighting for Victims

The opioid epidemic has ravaged the country, leading to countless deaths and injuries. With news breaking about Purdue Pharma, the maker of Oxycontin and other deadly opioids, filing for bankruptcy, our group of law firms has come together to represent individuals who have been injured and the families of those who have lost their lives because of opioids. For cases we accept there are no out-of-pocket costs, and we only get paid if we recover money for you.* Call now or fill out the form below for a free case evaluation.

Purdue and the Opioid Epidemic

In 1996, Purdue received an FDA approval for OxyContin, an extended-release form of oxycodone that the company claimed was safer than others and had a low risk of addiction. OxyContin, however, had a high risk of addiction. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, out of 700,000 Americans who died from drug overdoses from 1999 to 2017, almost 400,000 died after overdosing on prescription and illicit opioid drugs. During the one year period from Jan. 2, 2016 to Jan. 1, 2017, 64,070 people died from opioid overdoses.

In addition to OxyContin, Purdue manufactured MS Contin, Dilaudid/Dilaudid HP, Butrans, Hysingla ER, and Targiniq ER, all of which are also at the epicenter of the crisis.

Purdue and Big Pharma are alleged to have helped to drive the opioid epidemic by engaging in aggressive and potentially misleading marketing campaigns. Purdue purportedly mounted an especially aggressive marketing campaign for OxyContin, holding dozens of national pain conferences that were attended by more than 5,000 pharmacists, doctors, and nurses to spur them to prescribe OxyContin for non-cancer pain. The marketing efforts seem to have worked. The number of prescriptions for OxyContin to treat non-cancer pain grew from 670,000 in 1997 to 6.2 million in 2002. By 2020, the U.S. market for opioid medications is expected to reach $18.4 billion.

On September 15, 2019, Purdue filed for bankruptcy. In the near future, our team anticipates that a federal bankruptcy court handling the matter will set a deadline within which claims can be filed by victims and those alleging injury or death from Purdue products. Claims not filed within the applicable bar date may be lost forever.

Our Team

We are a coalition of firms with significant experience. Our firms, Andrews & Thornton, ASK LLP, Fennemore Craig PC, and Goodnow McKay PLLC, have significant experience with tort, mass tort, and wrongful death matters. In addition, Anne Andrews, the managing partner of Andrews & Thornton, has considerable experience navigating bankruptcies involving complicated pharmaceutical claims. She served on official committees in TwinLab and N.V.E., both dietary supplement companies responsible for causing serious injuries to consumers, and as the Chair of the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in New England Compounding Pharmacy, a company responsible for distributing compounded steroid injections that caused fungal meningitis. She also participated in bankruptcy proceedings on behalf of tort creditors in Chemtura (which sold a chemical in flavored popcorn causing severe lung injury), Metabolife and MuscleTech (also dietary supplement companies causing users severe injuries like heart attack or stroke), and Dow Corning (which marketed faulty breast implants). Most recently she has served on the Tort Claimants’ Committee in PG&E, a bankruptcy involving tens of thousands of people losing their homes or lives due to PG&E’s electrical equipment. Significantly, she current serves as the Chair of Creditor’s Committee for the bankruptcy of Insys, the first opioid seller to declare bankruptcy. The Andrews & Thornton firm has prepared blog about the current opioid crisis.

Free Case Evaluation

For cases we accept, we operate on a contingent fee, which means there are no out-of-pocket costs, and we only get paid if we recover on your behalf. We are available 24/7, 7 days per week.

Call 602-492-1723

Or fill out the form below now to see if we can help.

 


*IMPORTANT – READ CAREFULLY: ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. Andrews & Thornton, ASK LLPFennemore Craig PC, and Goodnow McKay PLLC are engaged as co-counsel in limited representation in select claims against pharmaceutical companies. Every case involves risk, including the risk of loss. There are no guarantees about whether we will accept your case, or about actions that will be taken or results that will be obtained. 

 

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