NH sues over OxyContin marketing

The New Hampshire Attorney General is suing the manufacturer of OxyContin for deceptive marketing.

According to the court filing, Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, violated New Hampshire law by:

• Downplaying the risk of addiction to OxyContin
• Claiming that OxyContin would last twelve hours
• Claiming that OxyContin was tamper resistant
• Failing to report suspicious subscriptions

“The CDC reports four out of five heroin users started with prescription opioids. To defeat the epidemic, we must stop creating new users and part of that is making sure these highly addictive and dangerous drugs are marketed truthfully and without deception and in such a way as not to minimize addiction risks or overstate benefits to patients.”

- Deputy Attorney General Ann Rice 

Purdue Pharma responded with the following statement: 

“While we vigorously deny the allegations, we share New Hampshire officials' concerns about the opioid crisis and we are committed to working collaboratively to find solutions. We are an industry leader in the development of abuse-deterrent technology, advocating for the use of prescription drug monitoring programs and supporting access to naloxone.”

New Hampshire’s current Attorney General, Gordon MacDonald, previously represented Purdue Pharma, and therefore has recused himself entirely from the case.