OxyContin Class Action News

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January 28th, 2005

"OxyContin class action certification denied"

Purdue Pharma’s popular and controversial prescription drug OxyContin has avoided being named in a certification of a class action lawsuit claiming harm, including addiction.

OxyContin contains a very strong narcotic pain reliever similar to morphine that has been linked to more than 100 deaths and has the FDA’s strongest warning label, saying the drug is as potentially addictive as morphine. A New York Supreme Court Judge denied the plaintiffs’ motion for certification of a personal injury lawsuit after ruling the plaintiffs had failed to meet the “commonality requirement” of class certification, which would be inappropriate for the important individual issues to be lumped together.

OxyContin tablets provide 12 hours of pain relief when swallowed whole, but the drug is now the leading prescription medication diverted to illegal use in the nation. If chewed, snorted or injected, OxyContin can produce a quick and potentially deadly high. The use as a recreational drug in recent years prompted the FDA to strengthen the warning labeling, and pharmacies have increased security against employee and patron theft.

Class certification in OxyContin related litigation has now been denied in written opinions on nine occasions in state and federal courts. Over recent years, parent Web sites warning of the dangers of OxyContin abuse have been springing up in response to lost loved ones that died from OxyContin overdoses or deadly interactions. Like any opioid, OxyContin is easy to get addicted to and hard to get off.