Ventura County files lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, distributors

The County of Ventura seeks damages to cover costs of the opioid epidemic in a lawsuit against OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and other drug manufacturers and distributors.

The 167-page lawsuit, filed this month in U.S. District Court for Central California, names more than 25 defendants, ranging from Actavis Pharma to Walgreens. It alleges Purdue and other manufacturers misrepresented the risk of their painkillers, creating a population of patients "who sought opioids at never-before-seen rates."

Part of a flood of opioid lawsuits aimed at the pharmaceutical industry, the lawsuit contends defendants contributed to the drug crisis by selling and distributing greater quantities of opioids than could be needed for medical uses.

MORE:California sues Purdue Pharma over false promotion of opioids; company denies allegations

"Purdue Pharma vigorously denies the allegations in the lawsuits filed against the company and will continue to defend itself against these misleading attacks," leaders of the Connecticut company said in a written statement. They cited what they described as disregarded facts including the government's regulation of opioids and the black-box warning on OxyContin that includes information about addiction and abuse.

"... Since 2000, we have pursued more 60 different initiatives in collaboration with governments and law enforcement agencies on this difficult social issue," they said.

Federal opioid data released by The Washington Post shows more than 158 million hydrocone and oxycodone pills flowed into Ventura County from 2006 to 2012. Purdue was fourth on the list of the manufacturers with the highest amount of pills coming into the county.

Two of the companies ahead of Purdue — Actavis Pharma and SpecGx — are named in the lawsuit. Par Pharmaceutical, third on the list, is not named.

The three distributors with the most pills coming to Ventura County over the seven years — AmerisourceBergen, McKesson Corp. and Cardinal Health — are all named.

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors authorized the lawsuit in October.

"Their grab for profits caused them to mislead doctors and the public about how addictive this was," said Supervisor Steve Bennett of the defendants. "That caused significant impacts on the taxpayers of Ventura County."

Lawyers for the county expect the lawsuit will ultimately join the flood of lawsuits being litigated in federal court in northern Ohio. 

MORE:Ventura County's opioid fix: 'I crave it all the time'

The Ventura County suit asks for damages, including government funding diverted from another use to services related to the opioid epidemic. It also cites the costs of efforts, including training for emergency responders, the Naloxone medication used to counteract overdoses, public safety and law enforcement as well as education and support groups.

"But for the opioid-addiction epidemic created by defendants' conduct, the county would not have lost money or property," the lawsuit states. 

Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com or 805-437-0255.