John Sammon News
State attorney accuses defense witness of being opioid industry mouthpiece and dishonest
CHARLESTON – An attorney for the state of West Virginia attempted to pin down an expert defense witness, accusing him of being a pro-opioid-industry hireling and also less than honest on his resume in a trial accusing drug makers of causing an epidemic.
State attorney grills economist who said opioid marketing caused no harm in West Virginia
CHARLESTON – State attorneys attempted to discredit a defense expert witness as unreliable during May 18 testimony in the Mass Litigation Panel opioid trial.
State attorneys accuse opioid maker of under-reporting off-label drug benefits
CHARLESTON – Attorneys for the State of West Virginia attempted to attack a central premise of the defense in a trial of opioid drug makers accused of causing an epidemic – that off-label marketing of the drugs by sales reps to doctors was minimal.
Cephalon sales rep tells court Actiq, Fentora opioids were not viable sellers in W.Va.
CHARLESTON – A sales rep manager who worked for defendant Cephalon testified that opioid drugs Actiq and Fentora were not viable sellers in the state during the 2005-07 time period.
Kadian opioid reps say guidelines followed pitching drugs, not expanding market in West Virginia trial
CHARLESTON — Sales reps for opioid suppliers accused of causing an epidemic in West Virginia say they sold drugs only in the confines of what Food & Drug Administration labeling would allow, and did not attempt to expand a market but to simply “maintain it.”
Defense witness researcher said Allergan opioid products Kadian and Norco left small imprint in epidemic
CHARLESTON — An expert witness called by defense attorneys in a trial to decide if opioid drug suppliers caused an epidemic in West Virginia said two products Kadian and Norco made by a defendant Allergan did not increase overall drug prescribing in the state.
Opioid judge asks lawyers to break to reconsider arguments
CHARLESTON -- A circuit judge asked attorneys to take a temporary break to reconsider their arguments in the state trial for drug companies accused of irresponsibly flooding West Virginia with pain pills and causing an epidemic.
Defense witness refutes testimony of plaintiff witnesses in W.Va. opioid trial
CHARLESTON – Attorneys defending opioid drug companies accused of causing an epidemic in West Virginia brought in a pain specialist doctor to refute the testimony of witnesses for the state who claimed doctors had become reckless in over-prescribing pain pills.
Witness in W.Va. opioid trial says DEA provided little guidance to defendants
CHARLESTON – Defense attorneys in the West Virginia opioid trial sought to portray the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency as providing no guidance on how drug-producing companies could comply with regulations.
Former DEA agent portrays opioid defendants as lax on suspicious orders
CHARLESTON — A former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officer testified that the defendant opioid suppliers took lightly their responsibility to prevent drug diversion.
Defense attorneys question DEA official about opioid suspicious orders in West Virginia trial
CHARLESTON — An official of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration told attorneys defending suppliers of opioid drugs that the companies were supposed to protect against suspicious drug orders without specific guidance from the DEA.
Former Teva employee says company partly responsible for opioid epidemic
During a trial in West Virginia accusing opioid drug suppliers of causing an epidemic, a former employee of Teva, one of the defendants and the largest generic manufacture of opioids in the country, admitted the company could be held responsible.
Defense attorneys challenge witness who showed increase in W.Va. opioid prescriptions
CHARLESTON – Attorneys defending drug suppliers accused of creating an opioid epidemic in West Virginia sought to poke holes in the earlier testimony of an analyst called as an expert witness by the state whose numbers showed a dramatic increase in opioid prescriptions from the years 2007 to 2017.
Witness in West Virginia opioid trial says DEA 'beat up' drug suppliers
CHARLESTON – A security manager for an opioid drug company testified that officers of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration turned “aggressive” in the 2011 time period and began to “beat up” drug suppliers and manufacturers.
Data analyst shows opioid prescriptions skyrocket in West Virginia, above national average
CHARLESTON – An analytics analyst in a trial accusing suppliers of causing an opioid epidemic said the amount of prescriptions for pills in West Virginia increased dramatically between 1997 and 2017, with 2011 being the peak year.
Opioid trial continues without Janssen; expert says oversupply caused crisis
CHARLESTON – Janssen settled with West Virginia, but the state trial continues against opioid suppliers Teva, Cephalon and Allergen continues.
In deposition tapes at W.Va. opioid trial, drug official admits overselling as another defends his actions
CHARLESTON — During previously recorded deposition tapes at the West Virginia opioid trial, one drug company executive admit his sales reps sold drugs by exaggerating positive claims “off label” while another defended his own actions.
Opioid researcher says industry promoted dangerous drugs for profits in step-by-step campaign
An opioid researcher told a West Virginia court on Thursday manufacturers and distributors of dangerously powerful drugs such as OxyContin, were promoted by the companies in what amounted to a step-by-step distortion campaign undertaken for profits----resulting in an epidemic.
FDA director says medical practice changed, loosening prescribing of opioid pills with more addicts
CHARLESTON – A director of the Food & Drug Administration says physicians in the 1990s lost their fear of prescribing opioids, leading to higher rates of addiction.
State witness in West Virginia opioid trial says marketing of drugs aggressively over the top
A professor of pharmacy marketing told a West Virginia courtroom that the selling of opioid drugs by sales reps was designed to expand market share of the drugs and result in profits - a central argument state attorneys intend to show as the causation of an epidemic.