Greg Stumbo as Kentucky's Attorney General was a tireless watchdog for the rights of consumers, and never refrained from taking action if he felt they were being fleeced. The latest example of this came when he filed suit against Perdue Pharmaceuticals for misrepresenting the facts of their famous drug, Oxycontin.
Stumbo explained his actions:
"As a result of the company’s attempts to con consumers about this powerful painkiller, unsuspecting people are being exposed to the risk of severe and disabling addiction," Stumbo said. "Many went to their physicians for pain relief but found themselves saddled with drug addiction, facing life long consequences and adverse medical conditions."
It seems as if A.G. Stumbo may have a rock-solid case:
Stumbo’s lawsuit alleges fraud, conspiracy, negligence, and public nuisance on the part of Purdue Pharma. In addition to seeking restitution for state and county governments, the suit also demands that a medical monitoring program be established to diagnose and treat addiction problems in Kentucky.
In 1995, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) found that the Purdue could not claim slow-release OxyContin was better or safer than immediate-release oxycodone and said withdrawal is possible in patients who have their dosage abruptly reduced or discontinued. FDA further stated care should be taken to limit competitive promotion.
Despite the FDA’s findings, from December 1995 through June 2001, certain Purdue supervisors and employees, with the intent to defraud or mislead, marketed and promoted OxyContin to medical care providers as less addictive, less subject to abuse and diversion, and less likely to cause tolerance and withdrawal than other pain medications.
Additionally, the company sponsored training for all of its district sales managers which contained false data. Certain Purdue sales representatives falsely stated to some health care providers that OxyContin had less euphoric effect and less abuse potential than short-acting opioids.
Stumbo went on to detail the worst parts of Perdue's deception:
"Purdue used a systematic approach to mislead pharmacists, physicians and patients about the addictive nature of Oxycontin," continued Stumbo. "Families have been ripped apart and their hearts torn into pieces. Every day we see the dramatic increases of drug abuse and trafficking."
In Pike County, recently dubbed the "ground zero of prescription drug abuse" by MSNBC, Judge-Executive Wayne T. Rutherford was quick to note the importance of this move:
"This is an important event not just for the residents of Pike County, but for all Kentuckians whose lives have been torn apart from the effects of this powerful and highly addictive narcotic. This company has to be held responsible for their wrongdoing. This suit is not about money, but rather the people who have been affected and seen first-hand the devastation this drug has wrought on Kentucky. Pike County, as well as other Kentucky counties, has worked hard to combat the effects associated with this drug. But, even when we think there is nothing more we can do, we still have our legal system to provide a way to bring this issue to light and provide relief to the people of Pike and other counties whose lives have been destroyed by OxyContin."
http://www.ag.ky.gov/...
I wonder what the worlds most famous Oxycontin addict, Rush Limbaugh thinks about this. Could he actually benefit from a Democratic State Attorney General's suit against the manufacterer of his beloved drug of choice?
Anyway, this once again shows that Greg Stumbo is a leader who is not afraid to take on the big Pharmaceutical industry. It shows he will fight the big drug companies who sacrifice the interests of their costumers for profit. It shows that even though he is an Attorney General that he realizes that drug companies should be accountable for their actions, and not just the addicts they create. It shows he has character, and conviction.
We need Greg Stumbo to run for the Senate in Kentucky. He should be letting us know his intentions shortly after the November election in Kentucky next month. Please go to his exploratory site and let him know he should run. We can change the Senate by replacing Mitch McConnell with a Democratic fighter!!:
http://www.stumbo2008.com/