Minnesota Sues Insys Therapeutics Over Its Opioid Marketing Practices
Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson says the Arizona-based pharmaceutical company "encouraged physicians to prescribe this highly-potent fentanyl product to patients who didn't have cancer, even though it was only approved for severe breakthrough pain in cancer patients." Meanwhile, as legal cases related to the opioid epidemic pile up, Native American tribes fight to not get lost in the mix.
The Associated Press:
Minnesota Sues Arizona-Based Opioid Manufacturer
Minnesota’s attorney general is suing an Arizona-based pharmaceutical company, alleging it illegally marketed a painkiller made from the synthetic opioid fentanyl. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday against Insys Therapeutics. The suit accuses the drugmaker of encouraging physicians to prescribe the painkiller Subsys at higher doses than recommended. (5/30)
Minnesota Public Radio:
Minnesota Sues Pharma Firm Over 'Brazen' Marketing Of Opioid Painkiller
Minnesota's attorney general and the state's Board of Pharmacy sued a pharmaceutical company Wednesday, alleging it illegally marketed a fentanyl painkiller and violated state restrictions on giving doctors gifts. The lawsuit says the painkiller was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug administration to treat pain in cancer patients but that Arizona-based Insys Therapeutics marketed it for other conditions and at higher doses. (Collins, 5/30)
Cleveland Plain Dealer:
Native American Tribes Fight To Not Be Forgotten In Massive Opioid Litigation
Native American tribes across the country have filed or are considering filing lawsuits against drug companies over the nation's opioid epidemic. These suits, which includes one filed by the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma, seek to recoup costs for social services and other programs the tribes funded as a means to treating record-high addiction rates among Native Americans. (Heisig, 5/29)
