7/28/2023 0 Comments Somerville walgreens![]() ![]() Somerville has had to implement numerous programs and services aimed at combatting the opioid crisis. “Our claims include their scheme to fuel the market by pumping opioids into our City and, as a result, creating a public health crisis that we must both address now and prevent for future generations.” “Through our investigation, we have evidence that these opioid manufacturers and distributors created the extraordinary crisis we are experiencing in Somerville,” said Somerville City Solicitor Francis X. This allegation relates to the belief that the RICO Marketing Defendants each financed, supported, and worked through the same key opinion leaders and Front Groups, and often collaborated on and mutually supported the same publications, continuing medical education seminars, presentations, and prescription guidelines. They allegedly did so while controlling and paying front groups and key opinion leaders to influence physicians and consumers, and through repeated and systematic misrepresentations about the safety and efficacy of opioids for treating long-term chronic pain.įor the alleged RICO Marketing Defendants’ fraudulent scheme to work, each of them had to agree to implement similar tactics regarding fraudulent marketing of prescription opioids. ![]() Specifically, the City alleges that the RICO defendants, while knowing that opioids were highly addictive, ineffective, and unsafe for long-term chronic, non-acute and non-cancer pain, formed an association-in-fact enterprise, the “Opioid Marketing Enterprise,” and engaged in a scheme to unlawfully increase their profits and sales and grow their share in the prescription painkiller market. As a direct consequence, the rampant use, overuse, and abuse of opioids has overwhelmed much of the country, including in Somerville and its residents, the City claims. The City also alleges that the distributor defendants failed to maintain effective controls, and to investigate, report, and take steps to terminate suspicious orders. The City claims that Purdue’s strategies were quickly joined by these defendants who used misrepresentations regarding the risks and benefits of opioids to enable the widespread prescribing of opioids for common, chronic pain conditions like low back pain, arthritis, and headaches. The City alleges that Purdue promoted opioids deceptively and illegally in order to significantly increase sales and generate billions of dollars in revenue for Purdue’s private owners, the Sackler family. The City also alleges violations of RICO against Purdue, Teva, Endo, Mallinckrodt, McKesson, Cardinal and AmerisourceBergen, or the “RICO Supply Chain Defendants.” In a notable move, the City also alleges that Purdue, Teva, Janssen and Endo, the “RICO Marketing Defendants,” violated the Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), which is a provision of federal law often used to charge members of organized crime because it allows the leaders-or others who gave orders to commit crimes-to be charged along with those who carried them out. We are coming together and filing this suit to get our community and families back.”Īmong other grounds, the lawsuit accuses all of the defendants of violating Massachusetts general laws, negligence and negligent misrepresentation, fraud and fraudulent misrepresentation, creating a public nuisance, and unjust enrichment. ![]() The bad actors within the opioid industry must be held to account. The opioid epidemic touches all people, and too many of our fellow residents have been harmed. “Our investigation into the opioid epidemic in Somerville points directly to these opioid manufacturers and distributors who we believe acted dishonestly and without compassion for patients, instead placing profits above all else. This is why we have filed today’s lawsuit,” said Mayor Curtatone. “Within the next hour, six Americans will die from opioid overdoses two babies will be born addicted to opioids and begin to go through withdrawal and drug manufacturers and distributors will earn millions from the sale of opioids in part due to what appears to be grievous acts of deception. For Somerville, that starts today." –Mayor Joseph A. "The bad actors within the opioid industry must be held to account. Curtatone announced that the City filed suit today against opioid manufacturers and distributors, including the chain pharmacy Walgreens as a distributor, for their alleged deceptive and illegal promotion of opioids and failure to investigate, report, maintain effective control, and take steps to terminate suspicious orders of the highly addictive prescription drugs.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |