Judge orders release of full lawsuit accusing Purdue Pharma of fueling opioid crisis

A judge has ordered the full release of the lawsuit accusing Purdue Pharma of fueling the opioid crisis with highly addictive drugs and marketing tactics. 

The previously heavily redacted document, filed by the state of Massachusetts, is expected to reveal how the company made its marketing decisions – and how much its bosses were earning. 

Last week, the redacted version of the lawsuit revealed allegations that former Purdue CEO Richard Sackler wanted to sell OxyContin, a now-banned painkiller blamed for thousands of overdose deaths, as an uncontrolled substance overseas – only to be persuaded by the drug’s creator that such a move could have dangerous consequences. 

It also featured claims that Sackler told promised people at the prescription opioid painkiller’s launch party in the 1990s that it would be ‘followed by a blizzard of prescriptions that will bury the competition.’   

But today, after media organizations appealed to see the entire complaint, Massachusetts state judge Janet Sanders declared there was no good reason for any elements to be held from the public in the midst of a drug overdose epidemic.

The full document will be released by midday on Friday – though Purdue can fight with an appeal. 

‘Any interest in keeping this information secret is hardly compelling and certainly not enough to overcome the presumption of public access,’ Judge Sanders said, according to STAT News, one of the outlets that filed a motion to release the document. 

The only element that remained redacted was a paragraph about a Purdue Pharma employee’s personal medical information, STAT reported. 

The rest, Sanders said, ‘may prove embarrassing for some of the defendants’ but ‘is not intensely personal or private’. 

OxyContin hit the market in 1996.

It is a brand-name version of oxycodone, an opioid anagelsic which relieves pain.

But unlike other oxycodone products, OxyContin was marketed as having a longer, 12-hour release. As such, it contained a higher dose of oxycodone, which would (in theory) release the painkiller over time.

However, it became clear that such a potent dose was highly addictive. Nan Goldin, the revered photographer, claims she was hooked within two days after being prescribed OxyContin for a routine surgery. It drove her to request refills or turn to street drugs.

Another addictive factor: the pills, it emerged, were very easy to crush and snort, or boil down to inject. 

The opioid addiction and overdose epidemic was not driven by one drug, but many see OxyContin as the poster child. It swiftly grew a cult status on the black market and club scenes. 

What’s more, lawyers claim Purdue Pharma – owned by the Sacklers, one of the wealthiest families in the US with their name branded across universities and art museums – was targeting doctors with lucrative offers to push their product.  

Now, as states try to curb over-prescription, Purdue Pharma is the top target. 

The Massachusetts lawsuit is believed to offer fresh details on how Purdue came to be the nation’s superstar opioid.  

Purdue Pharma’s lawyers urged Judge Sanders not to release the full document, saying the decision should be left to federal judges in Ohio, who are facing the same question over a federal case against Purdue. 

It’s not clear whether Ohio is more or less likely to release the document, but the decision will likely take longer. 

Judge Sanders dismissed the suggestion.