NEW YORK TO GET OVER $19 MILLION
In early February, New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced a settlement with Publicis Health, LLC – the world’s largest healthcare advertising agency – resolving allegations relating to that company’s involvement in promoting the sales of opioids, like Oxycontin.
Among other things, it is alleged that the company developed physician-directed marketing campaigns which falsely described such medications as safe and unable to be abused and which baselessly promoted the expansion of uses (like increasing dosages and promoting use for longer periods of time even though not medically appropriate).
In conjunction with announcing a $350 million settlement reached with “a coalition of every attorney general in the nation,” James released the following written statement:
“For a decade, Publicis helped opioid manufacturers like Purdue Pharma convince doctors to overprescribe opioids, directly fueling the opioid crisis and causing the devastation of communities nationwide …. No amount of money can compensate for lives lost and addiction suffered, but with this agreement, Publicis will cease their illegal behavior and pay $350 million to help our communities rebuild. Here in New York, we have delivered more than $2.7 billion to fund opioid abatement, treatment, and prevention, and we will continue fighting to deliver these critical resources to all communities ravaged by this epidemic.”
As per the final order and judgment, New York is to receive approximately $19 million of those proceeds.
Doubt Publicis will want to publicize that ….
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