Pharmaceutical companies have made billions, if not trillions, of dollars providing medication to this country’s population. Ill or injured people here in Ohio and across the country take a variety of prescription drugs every day for both acute and chronic conditions. Some medications that were meant for acute injuries turned out to be highly addictive, which has led to an epidemic of addiction that this country may never have seen before. Many believe that opioid manufacturers and distributors caused this epidemic, and some have filed litigation to hold these companies accountable.
The number of lawsuits continues to grow, and many of them are filed based on the same allegations. They allege that distributors failed to monitor, report, detect or investigate orders for opioid medications that drew suspicion. Distributors also could have refused to provide the medications under these circumstances, but they did not. The lawsuits also allege that manufacturers downplayed risks associated with opioid use, overstated their usefulness and used aggressive marketing tactics.
It is possible that manufacturers intentionally deceived everyone by insinuating and intimating that these drugs could safely be used long term and were not addictive. Both of those assertions turned out not to be true. Many of the accusations against opioid manufacturers and distributors fall under false advertising, unjust enrichment and fraud, among others.
While the battle against opioid manufacturers continues in courts here in Ohio and across the country, many individuals and their families continue to struggle with addiction, abuse and overdoses associated with these medications. The costs are not borne only by the victims and their families, but by everyone. If you or a loved one became addicted to a prescription opioid medication, it may be possible to receive restitution for the damages sustained.
