Photo Courtesy of the Attorney General’s Office
State AG Schneiderman said the bipartisan coalition is “committed to getting to the bottom of a broken system that has fueled the [opioid] epidemic and taken far too many lives.”
By Michael V. Cusenza
A bipartisan coalition of 41 attorneys general from across the country has demanded information and documents from the manufacturers and distributors of prescription painkillers, part of a multistate investigation into whether the companies engaged in any unlawful practices in the marketing and distribution of opioids, State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced on Tuesday.
“Too often, prescription opioids are the on-ramp to addiction for millions of Americans,” Schneiderman noted. “We’re committed to getting to the bottom of a broken system that has fueled the epidemic and taken far too many lives. New Yorkers whose families have been torn apart by the opioid crisis deserve to know if the industry put its bottom line ahead of patient safety. My office is committed to using every tool at our disposal to curb the epidemic and get those affected by it the help they need and the justice they deserve.”
According to the NY AG’s Office, the investigative subpoenas and document requests were served on Monday. Schneiderman said the coalition’s chief legal officers are now pooling resources to address the public health crisis, and are doing so with a broad focus on multiple entities at both the manufacturer and distributor levels.
Opioid distributors alone make nearly $500 billion a year in revenue, Schniederman noted. Opioids – both prescription and illicit – are the main driver of drug overdose deaths nationwide and in the Empire State. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, opioids were involved in 33,091 deaths in 2015 – including 2,754 in New York – and opioid overdoses have quadrupled since 1999. Drug overdoses account for a large percentage of deaths among New Yorkers between 15 and 44 years of age – accounting for an incredible 41 percent of deaths in upstate Sullivan County, 37 percent in Erie County, and 32 percent in Nassau County on Long Island, according to an analysis conducted by The New York Times.
The attorneys general served subpoenas on the following pharmaceutical manufacturers and their related entities:
• Endo International plc
• Janssen Pharmaceuticals
• Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd./Cephalon Inc.
• Allergan Inc.
Schneiderman said that the AG’s have also served a supplemental investigative subpoena on Purdue Pharma, and have demanded documents and information about distribution practices from the following opioid distribution companies, who together manage approximately 90 percent of the nation’s opioid distribution:
• AmerisourceBergen
• Cardinal Health
• McKesson
Additionally, on Monday, a bipartisan coalition of 37 attorneys general urged health insurance companies to examine financial incentives in their payment and coverage policies that contribute to the opioid epidemic.
“Insurers must take a hard look at the systemic problems in our healthcare system that result in the over-prescription of opioids and fuel the cycle of addiction,” Schneiderman said.
