By: Matt Samples | Posted: Jan. 25, 2018 | Source: WV News
CLAY — Clay County Commission has filed lawsuit against a number of large drug manufacturers.
Troy Law Firm filed the lawsuit Wednesday against the companies on behalf of the commission.
The complaint says that Clay County is on the front lines of the opioid crisis, and over the past 20 years an unreasonable amount of Clay citizens had become addicted to opioids like Percocet and OxyContin.
It also mentions that Clay County has suffered from the large quantities of pills coming into the county, saying it destroys lives and the local economy.
The lawsuit claims that these companies allowed unreasonable amounts of opioids to come into the county despite knowing the dangers of becoming addicted to these types of medications. The suit also said that crime in Clay County is worse due to the influence of opioids.
The suit claims the companies are responsible for the issues they have had in recent years involving drugs and for causing an increase in illegal activity.
The commission said that from 2007 to 2012, around 253,100 doses of oxycodone and 1,826,900 doses of hydrocodone were distributed to Clay County pharmacies, which it says is significant considering the population of the county.
The population fluctuated from around 10,080 citizens in 2007 to around 9,262 in 2012, not growing above the 2007 figure during that period of time, the commission said.
Companies named in the suit are: Purdue Pharma, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Cephalon, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Noramco, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Mallinckrodt LLC, Endo Health Solutions, Rite Aid of Maryland, Allergan, Actavis, Watson Pharmaceuticals, McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation, and the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy.
