Attorney General Curtis Hill plans to continue his case against Connecticut based pharmaceutical company, Purdue Pharma, after a Marion Superior Court judge rejected the company’s argument for dismissal on Aug. 12.
Hill claims that the company sought to increase profits by promoting the use of opioids in Indiana, thus contributing to the opioid crisis. In doing so, Hill argues that Purdue Pharma has violated four Indiana laws, including Indiana’s Consumer Deceptive Sales Act.
In Purdue Pharma’s motion to dismiss, the company claims that the Consumer Deceptive Sales Act does not apply to the company because it is regulated by the U.S Food and Drug Administration.
The lawsuit alleges that the company has minimized the risk of opioid addiction and exaggerated the benefits. Hill also claims in his 92 page complaint, that the company targets elderly and vulnerable patients in order to turn them into long term users.
The state also alleges that the company is enticing naïve patients by offering free trial periods for drugs such as OxyContin, Butrans, and Hysingla.
The complaint seeks maximum penalties, damages, costs and an order to stop unlawful conduct.
