NEW YORK (Legal Newsline) — Endo Health Solutions Inc. and Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. (“Endo”) have agreed to cease alleged misrepresentations of their Opana ER long-acting opioid, said New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman.
Endo must accurately describe addiction risks associated with Opana ER and summarize Opana ER studies on its website. Additionally, the company must train its sales staff on how to avoid dealing with health care providers possibly involved in the abuse and illegal diversion of opioids, said the Attorney General's Office.
“The public health crisis created by improper opioid prescribing in New York remains pervasive and extremely dangerous,” Schneiderman said. “My office is committed to ensuring that prescription drugs are marketed and prescribed responsibly – and that consumers get the information they need about the serious risks associated with painkillers, such as addiction.”
Opioid usage has increase 10-fold over the past two decades in the United States, mainly to treat chronic non-cancer pain. Endo’s Opana ER product has been widely abused in the state of New York, the state says.
The case was handled by assistant attorneys general Michael D. Reisman and Carol Hunt of the Attorney General’s Health Care Bureau, which is led by bureau chief Lisa Landau.