Massachusetts receives $8 million in opioid settlement, marketing firm ‘helped fuel the nationwide opioid crisis’

The Bay State is receiving $8 million from yet another opioid settlement after a marketing firm was accused of pushing doctors to prescribe Purdue Pharma’s opioids to more patients in higher doses, and for longer periods of time.

Attorney General Andrea Campbell has announced a $350 million national settlement with Publicis Health — resolving the state’s suit against the marketing and communications firm for its role in the opioid crisis.

Massachusetts will receive nearly $8 million from the settlement for opioid-related services. The money will help fund the state’s Opioid Recovery and Remediation Fund to provide support for opioid use disorder prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm reduction efforts.

As part of the settlement, Publicis Health will stop accepting client work related to opioid or other opioid-based Schedule II or Schedule III controlled substances.

“For years, Publicis Health’s marketing schemes helped fuel the nationwide opioid crisis, which has shattered some of our most vulnerable communities, while creating significant financial strain on our state systems,” Campbell said in a statement.

“I am proud of my team’s national leadership in securing this settlement, which will not only bolster accountability and transparency for this ongoing crisis but will also provide millions of dollars for much needed treatment and services to support individuals and families across Massachusetts,” the AG added.

Related Articles

Local News |


Davies: Pass FEND Off Fentanyl to fight opioid crisis

Local News |


Fear of opioids causing relapse has those in addiction recovery needing joint replacement cautious

Local News |


Ticker: Google settles $5 billion privacy lawsuit over tracking people using ‘incognito mode’

Local News |


‘They see a cash cow’: Corporations could consume $50 billion of opioid settlements

Local News |


The year in opioid settlements: 5 things you need to know

In 2021 when Maura Healey was attorney general, her office in a complaint accused Publicis Health of partnering with opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma on dozens of contracts — collecting more than $50 million in exchange for marketing schemes to get doctors to prescribe Purdue’s opioids to more patients, in higher doses, for longer periods of time.

Publicis devised marketing strategies to combat prescribers’ hesitancy to prescribe OxyContin, including materials used to train and assist Purdue sales reps in detailing doctors, and told Purdue how to target the most dangerous high prescribers, the state said in the complaint.

Campbell on Thursday also announced a multistate settlement in principle with opioid manufacturer Hikma Pharmaceuticals for its role in fueling the opioid crisis.

The settlement will resolve claims that Hikma failed to monitor and report suspicious opioid orders from potentially illegal distributors — even while its personnel knew their systems to monitor suspicious orders were inadequate and prone to failure.

Overall, Massachusetts has reached legal settlements with opioid manufacturers and others that will return more than $1 billion to the state and local communities.

More than 20,000 Massachusetts residents have died from opioid-related overdoses over the last 20 years. The state reported a record 2,359 opioid-related overdose deaths in all of 2022.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Previous post Housing affordability near record low hits Black buyers particularly hard
Next post 4 men indicted for J’Ouvert parade shooting last summer