Lawsuits have been filed on the behalf of sheriffs of Calcasieu, Washington, Ouachita, Sabine and Vernon parishes against pharmaceutical companies and physicians over the fraudulent marketing of prescription opioid painkillers that has led to increased crime and delinquency across Louisiana.
In the complaint, the five parish sheriffs seek relief, including compensatory and punitive damages, for the millions of dollars they spend each year to combat drug-related crimes and to ease the societal economic burden of opioid abuse created by the drug companies’ deceptive marketing campaign that fabricates the safety and efficacy of long-term opioid use
The action announced today by the five parish sheriffs follow similar lawsuits filed by Laborde Earles on behalf of the sheriffs of Avoyelles, Jefferson Davis, Rapides and Lafayette parishes in September.
In a separate action, the Louisiana Department of Health has also sued the major pharmaceutical companies, alleging in their complaint, “Drug manufacturers undertook an orchestrated campaign to flood Louisiana with highly addictive and dangerous opioids in an effort to maximize profits above the health and well-being of their customers.”
“The opioid epidemic has touched every corner of this parish and every part of this state,” said Jay Russell, Sheriff of Ouachita Parish. “I am proud to join with my fellow sheriffs to try to do something about this crisis for the people of Ouachita Parish.”
According to the lawsuits, state data shows opioid-related deaths in Louisiana have nearly doubled from 155 in 2012 to 305 in 2016. Louisiana is one of eight states that has more opioid prescriptions than it has residents. In 2013, Louisiana ranked first in opioid prescriptions according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. The state was found to have the sixth highest prescription-per-capita rate at 1.03 pain killer prescriptions written per Louisiana resident in 2015.
According to the CDC, Washington Parish and Vernon Parish had rates of usage higher than the national average in 2015.Washington Parish’s usage rate was between 677 and 958 milligram equivalents (“MME”) per person in 2015, compared to 640 MME per person in 2015 nationally.
The lawsuits allege the defendants aggressively sought to create a false perception in the minds of physicians, patients, health care providers and clients that using opioids to treat chronic pain was safe for most patients and that the drugs’ benefits outweighed the risks. This was allegedly perpetrated through a coordinated, sophisticated and highly deceptive promotion and marketing campaign that began in the late 1990s, became more aggressive around 2006, and is ongoing. Specifically, the complaint alleges that the defendants poured significant financial resources into generating articles, continuing medical education courses and other “educational” materials, conducting sales visits to doctors, and supporting a network of professional societies and advocacy groups – all of which were successful in the intended purpose of creating a new and phony “consensus” supporting the long-term use of opioids. In the Louisiana Department of Health lawsuit officials wrote, “Drug manufacturers undertook an orchestrated campaign to flood Louisiana with highly addictive and dangerous opioids in an effort to maximize profits above the health and well-being of their customer.”