OxyContin overdose lawsuits are being filed for individuals who were prescribed opioid painkillers and accidentally overdosed, became addicted, suffered severe side effects, or death.
OxyContin Overdose Deaths
The CDC estimates that 42,000 people in the U.S. died from accidental overdoses of prescription opioid painkiller in 2016.
How Addictive is OxyContin?
The “opioid epidemic” has been fueled by drugs like OxyContin, which were advertised as safer and less addictive than other painkillers. In reality, OxyContin could easily be crushed up into a powder that would produce powerful euphoric effects, leading some users to overdose.
In 2010, Purdue Pharma changed the formulation of OxyContin so that it could not be crushed up into a powder. Unfortunately, by that time, tens of thousands of lives had already been ruined by OxyContin addiction, accidental overdoses, and deaths of family members.
OxyContin Overdose Symptoms
- Confusion
- Frequent vomiting
- Pinpoint pupils
- Extreme sleepiness
- Unable to wake up
- Loss of consciousness
- Breathing problems, including slowed or irregular breathing
- No breathing
- Cold, clammy skin
- Blue skin around the lips or under the fingernails
What is OxyContin?
OxyContin® (oxycodone) is a pain-relieving medication manufactured by Purdue Pharma that has been sold in the U.S. since 1996. It was initially advertised as safer than other painkillers because it had a “time-release” feature when the pill was swallowed whole. However, like heroin, taking too much OxyContin can slow breathing or be fatal.
$634 Million OxyContin Settlement
In 2007, Purdue Pharma agreed to pay a a href=”https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/business/11drug-web.html” target=”_blank”>$634 million fine and agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges of intentionally misleading doctors about the risk of addiction from OxyContin. The fine included $130 million to pay settlements for private individuals who filed OxyContin lawsuits.
OxyContin Overdose Class Action Lawsuit
There are many class action lawsuits against Purdue Pharma. These class actions are useful for consolidating a lot of similar legal claims. In another type of “class action,” known as a Multi-District Litigation (MDL), individual injury lawsuits are consolidated in one federal court.
OxyContin Lawsuit Settlements & Compensation
If your OxyContin overdose lawsuit is successful, you could receive compensation from a settlement or a jury verdict in a courtroom trial. The amount of financial compensation in the payout depends on many factors, but could potentially include hospitalization costs related to your overdose, addiction rehabilitation, lost wages, or wrongful death.
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
