A unit of French advertising giant Publicis Groupe SA agreed on Thursday to pay OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma $350 million to resolve claims that it fueled the opioid epidemic in the United States.
State attorneys general say Publicis Health played a key role in Purdue Pharma's development of “predatory and deceptive marketing strategies” that increased prescriptions and sales of OxyContin and made the opioid crisis more devastating. He claimed that he had made it into something.
This is the first settlement in history regarding the role of advertising companies in the opioid crisis.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said, “For a decade, Publicis helped opioid manufacturers like Purdue Pharma persuade doctors to overprescribe opioids, directly fueling the opioid crisis and harming communities across the country.'' It was a devastating blow.” “No amount of money can compensate for the lives lost and the harm caused by addiction, but with this agreement, Publicis will pay $350 million to end its illegal activities and help communities rebuild. It will be.”
According to the states' lawsuits, Publicis Health implemented a strategy developed by McKinsey for Purdue Pharma. & Co. is known as “Evolution to Excellence”. The strategy targeted the doctors who prescribed the most OxyContin, bombarding them with messages promoting the drug's “abuse-proof” aspects and urging them to increase their dosage.McKinsey & Co. has separately agreed to pay $641 million to resolve claims brought by a number of states.
“Publicis engaged in an unfair and deceptive marketing campaign designed to encourage physicians to prescribe opioids to more patients, in higher doses, and for longer periods of time,” the Massachusetts lawsuit states. I devised it and developed it.” “Intentionally, Publicis' plan worked to counter public health measures aimed at reducing unnecessary opioid use, because the more opioids are used, the more benefits Publicis' opioid customers receive. Because it was caused.”
The settlement agreement calls for Publicis Health to pay $350 million to the states within 60 days. The company is also prohibited from accepting any future contracts or involvement related to the marketing or sale of opioids.
Publicis also released internal documents detailing its work with Purdue Pharma and other opioid manufacturers, as well as communications with consultants such as McKinsey and Practice Fusion, for inclusion in an online document repository for public viewing. Mandatory.
