Within the past 20 years, the opioid addiction epidemic has killed over 200,000 Americans and people are starting to turn accusing eyes on the makers of OxyContin, Purdue Pharma, for their addicting product. The state of Oklahoma was looking to settle a case concerning Purdue's role in the epidemic with a publicly televised trial in May, but the company decided to negotiate in order to avoid bad press. The payout was $270 million dollars and most of the money will go towards funding a new addiction treatment and research center at Oklahoma State University. Purdue Pharma's big problem now is that they have 1600 other pending cases and is having to consider chapter 11 bankruptcy. This means they would be protected from big judgements and only creditors like banks will be repaid, so states would receive barely any money in bankruptcy court. States and counties are more willing to negotiate for less money now than risk the chance of getting practically nothing in the end. The accusations don't just start with Purdue Pharma, but all opioid manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies, such as Johnson & Johnson, who are almost all facing trials.
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1. Do you think Purdue Pharma will end up having to declare bankruptcy or will they be able to dodge the claims of their role in addictions with their other cases?
2. Do you think opioid manufacturers should be facing most of the blame and criticism for the overuse of their products?
My Answers-
I think even though Purdue Pharma was willing to settle things with Oklahoma and pay them, they won't have the same attitude towards the smaller cases and will end up winning in court. All opioid manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies should be responsible for their products and I think the blame is rightly placed with companies like Purdue because it's where the whole chain starts.
Replies
Great job Casey!
I think Purdue Pharma will be able to dodge the claims of their role in addictions and not declare bankruptcy. I believe this business will be able to talk their way out of becoming bankrupt because they were not pushing the drugs on people to get addicted.
I believe that they might end up having to file for bankruptcy because they are probably running low on funding. No I think that the manufacturers where just doing there job. I do believe that they should try and manufactur a new drug that is less addictive to the public.
I think he might end up dodging a bullet as he is not forcing anyone from getting addicted to the drug. Yes, they should be criticized as they are making a drug that isn't just addictive but also causing many troubles in many households.
Im pretty sure that Purdue Pharma will end up paying so much they will have to declare bankrupcy, and even if they don't they'd be forced to do so anyway because of the debt they're in under all the lawsuits. I don't think that Purdue should be blamed for the addiction crisis, there just needs to be stronger restrictions in place on certain drugs like these that pose risks to people.
Do you think the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should be getting more involved with the opioid manufacturers and their product's safety? I think they could be trying more, but it's difficult because some patients who are dependent on opioids have had to have their prescriptions rapidly decreased and they are having bad side effects like uncontrolled pain and psychological distress that are leading to suicide.
Since the company is so large and wealthy I think they will be able to dogde most of the cases being thrown against them. The larger cases may be more difficult to avoid but the company seems capable of working with it. I do not think they are responsible for the product being as addictive as it is. It is the consumers fault for misusing the drugs
A big case coming in now is Purdue versus Illinois and it's looking like if they lose this one they'll definitely end up filing for bankruptcy. Illiniois is the main state now making the claims that Purdue used misleading tactics to get more sales, by also pushing for high doses for longer time periods, and they are saying its tripled the number of opioid prescriptions in the state which is quite a claim to be making. Of course, Purdue is saying they are exaggerating and have made errors in their calculations.
they will probably have to file for bankruptcy some time in the future becuase the opiod epedemic is becoming a bigger problem every day claiming more lives. I think the manufacturers should be taking most of the blame because they are making the drugs that are really addicting when they could be looking for a different less addictive alturnative.
I think the reason they are making the drugs so addictive instead of looking for a different alturnative is because they are running a business. If they get you addicted to their drug, the consumers will continue to come back and spend their money on your product.
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