D.C., Maryland and Virginia each will get a share of the $19.5 million that drug company Purdue Pharma will pay in a settlement over its promotion of OxyContin.
The Stamford, Conn.-basedcompany was sued by 27 state attorneys general who alleged the company had urged doctors to overprescribe OxyContin and failed to disclose the risk of abuse and addiction associated with the substance. Under the settlement, Purdue must also abide by parameters restricting the future promotion of the drug.
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Maryland will gain $719,500 in the settlement, Virginia will get $949,500 and D.C. will receive $949,500. The dollar figures were based on each state’s and D.C.’s involvement in the investigation rather than on damages, according to Bennet Rushkoff, a spokesman for D.C.’s Office of the Attorney General.
“Inappropriate marketing of drugs for uses not approved by the FDA is serious and can lead to overuse and abuse of what otherwise would be a safe and effective product,” D.C. Attorney General Linda Singer said in a statement Tuesday. “The agreement today will help stem the continuing illicit use of OxyContin.”
In a statement, Purdue Pharma said it didn’t consider the packaging as misleading.
“It has always been Purdue’s written policy that promotion of its products must adhere to FDA-approved prescribing information for those products, as well as applicable laws,” it said.
Purdue Pharma also will not be allowed to base its salespeople’s bonuses solely on how much OxyContin is prescribed, or recommend uses of the drug that are not on its label.
