Attorney General Aaron Frey announced a $350 million national settlement with Publicis Health to resolve investigations into the global marketing and communications firm’s role in the prescription opioid crisis. Maine will receive over $1.8 million from the settlement to help address the opioid crisis.
Filings describe how Publicis’ work contributed to the crisis by helping Purdue Pharma and other opioid manufacturers market and sell opioids. Court documents detail how Publicis acted as Purdue’s agency of record for all its branded opioid drugs, including OxyContin, even developing sales tactics that relied on farming data from recordings of personal health-related in-office conversations between patients and providers. The company was also instrumental in Purdue’s decision to market OxyContin to providers on patient’s electronic health records.
“Publicis worked to ensure that Purdue’s products ended up in more hands, addicting more of our citizens,” said Attorney General Frey. “It made money off the opioid crisis we now face and we are holding them accountable to pay for these harms.”
In agreeing to the terms of the settlement, Publicis recognized the harm its conduct caused, and the agreement will give communities hit hardest by the opioid crisis more financial support for treatment and recovery, building lasting infrastructure, and saving lives. The company will also disclose on a public website thousands of internal documents detailing its work for opioid companies like Purdue Pharma and will stop accepting client work related to opioid-based Schedule II or Schedule III controlled substances.
The filing is the latest action Frey has taken to combat the opioid crisis and to hold accountable those responsible for creating and fueling the crisis. To date, Maine has brought in over $34 million in legal settlements with drug manufacturers and others for their roles in the crisis.
Colorado led the multistate group during this investigation and was joined on an executive committee by the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Idaho, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, and Vermont. They are joined by the attorneys general from all states, territories, and the District of Columbia.
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