(Anchorage, Alaska) – Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor on Thursday announced a $350 million state settlement with Publicis Health to resolve an investigation into the global marketing communications firm’s role in the opioid prescription crisis. did. Alaska will receive more than $780,000 from the settlement to address the opioid crisis.
In agreeing to the terms of the settlement, Publicis acknowledged the harm its actions had caused. The company has published thousands of internal documents on its public website detailing its work for opioid companies such as Purdue Pharma and its acceptance of work from clients related to opioid-based Schedule II or Schedule III controlled substances. stop.
“Alaska has been hit hard by the opioid crisis,” said Attorney General Taylor. “My office is determined to hold companies that acted in bad faith accountable for their actions.”
Today's filing in Anchorage describes how Publicis' activities contributed to the crisis by helping Purdue Pharma and other opioid manufacturers market and sell opioids. Court documents also describe how Publicis acts as Purdue's agent of record for all of its branded opioid drugs, including OxyContin, and communicates within its private health office between patients and health care providers. It details how the company developed a sales strategy that relied on collecting data from recorded conversations. The company also contributed to Purdue's decision to market OxyContin to providers of patient electronic health records.
Today's filing is the latest action taken by Attorney General Taylor to combat the opioid crisis and hold accountable those responsible for creating and fueling the crisis. To date, the state of Alaska has obtained nearly $100 million in legal settlements with pharmaceutical companies and others over their role in the crisis. These funds will be used to reduce the harm that opioids are causing Alaska and its people.
The settlement included the attorneys general of every state, every territory, and the District of Columbia.
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