STAMFORD, Conn., Dec. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ohio Supreme Court today overturned a lower court decision in Howland v. Purdue Pharma L.P., et al which had granted class action status to plaintiffs claiming personal injuries as a result of using OxyContin(R) (oxycodone HCl controlled-release) Tablets.
The Howland case had been the only case in three years of litigation in which a class of plaintiffs was certified in any OxyContin lawsuit.
“We are gratified that the Ohio Supreme Court followed the law with respect to class certification and ruled in our favor,” stated Howard R. Udell, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of Purdue Pharma L.P., the Stamford, Connecticut-based distributor of OxyContin.
Every state and federal court throughout the country to decide class certification involving OxyContin has now rejected the plaintiffs’ efforts to have a class certified against Purdue.
The professional product labeling for OxyContin(R) Tablets contains the following boxed warning:
WARNING: OxyContin is an opioid agonist and a Schedule II controlled substance with an abuse liability similar to morphine. Oxycodone can be abused in a manner similar to other opioid agonists, legal or illicit. This should be considered when prescribing or dispensing OxyContin in situations where the physician or pharmacist is concerned about an increased risk of misuse, abuse, or diversion. OxyContin Tablets are a controlled-release oral formulation of oxycodone hydrochloride indicated for the management of moderate to severe pain when a continuous, around-the-clock analgesic is needed for an extended period of time. OxyContin Tablets are NOT intended for use as a prn analgesic. OxyContin 80 mg and 160 mg Tablets ARE FOR USE IN OPIOID-TOLERANT PATIENTS ONLY. These tablet strengths may cause fatal respiratory depression when administered to patients not previously exposed to opioids. OxyContin TABLETS ARE TO BE SWALLOWED WHOLE AND ARE NOT TO BE BROKEN, CHEWED, OR CRUSHED. TAKING BROKEN, CHEWED, OR CRUSHED OxyContin TABLETS LEADS TO RAPID RELEASE AND ABSORPTION OF A POTENTIALLY FATAL DOSE OF OXYCODONE.
Full prescribing information for OxyContin is available at http://www.purduepharma.com/PRESSROOM/PI/OXYCONTIN_PI.PDF.
Purdue Pharma L.P.
CONTACT: Tim Bannon of Purdue Pharma, +1-203-588-8450
