Purdue Pharma on Trial in West Virginia November 5, 2004
News Summary
Jurors are being selected in a case filed by the state of West Virginia that accuses the maker of OxyContin of dishonestly marketing the painkiller to consumers, the Charleston Gazette reported Nov. 1.Lawyers representing the state plan to show that Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma kept doctors, pharmacists, and patients uninformed about the drug's addictive qualities so it could sell more pills.
When Purdue Pharma began selling OxyContin, which contains more oxycodone than other commonly misused painkillers, the company said users were unlikely to get high from the drug because it was time-released over a 12-hour period.
However, many drug users discovered that they could crush the pill and ingest a tablet's entire oxycodone dose at once. In West Virginia, nearly half of the individuals being treated for drug addiction listed OxyContin as their drug of choice.
Lawyers for Purdue Pharma plan to counter the state's arguments by showing that the drug has provided relief to cancer patients and other chronic-pain sufferers.
"It is safe and effective when used as intended, and that is what is intended by Purdue," said Timbera Wilcox, one of the company's lawyers.
Although the state has not asked for a specific monetary award, it could equal or exceed the $30.5 million that various state agencies have spent on OxyContin between 1996, when Purdue Pharma first started shipping OxyContin to West Virginia pharmacies, and 2003.
McDowell Circuit Judge Booker Stephens will oversee the trial.
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