On Thursday, Kentucky officials sued the makers of OxyContin, a prescription painkiller, because of its harmful effects on its residents. The lawsuit wants reimbursement for the costs of drug abuse programs, law enforcement, and prescription drug payments through Medicaid and the Kentucky Pharmaceutical Assistance Program.
The makers of OxyContin are defending themselves by saying that the package has warnings against abusing the drug and the company shouldn’t be responsible for people who abuse the drug.
The lawsuit is also seeking punitive damages and a court-monitored fund that would pay for a program that would notify the users of possible harms of the drug and fund the research on the effects of the drug.
Kentucky officials decided to go through with the lawsuit after the drug maker and three executives pleaded guilty to misleading the public about its risk of addiction. They agreed to pay $634.5 million in fines for saying that the drug is less addictive and has less of a possibility of drug abuse than other pain medications.
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