By Lenny Bernstein Lenny Bernstein Reporter covering health and medicine Email Bio Follow March 8 at 8:04 PM An Oklahoma judge declined Friday to postpone the first major trial of whether drug companies bear responsibility for the opioid crisis, leaving the state and the firms on track to meet in court May 28.
Lawyers for the companies said they intended to appeal Balkman’s decision. In a statement, Purdue Pharma, maker of the popular painkiller OxyContin, said it was “disappointed the court has denied its motion for a continuance. The facts show clearly that the state of Oklahoma has repeatedly failed to meet its obligations to produce critical information and documents to Purdue and the other defendants in this case.
Oklahoma is seeking payments that could exceed $1 billion from the companies to cover the costs of coping with the drug crisis. The outcome there — whether by trial or settlement — may provide an indication of how about 1,600 other cities, counties and Native American tribes may fare against the same companies and others.
“The documents clearly are ones that are critical and important, and ones we should have had earlier,” Purdue attorney Eric Pinker told Balkman. “We are simply in a situation, judge, in which the size and scope of this case has outrun the pace at which the lawyers can operate.”
Always blame someone else. Never take personal responsibilities for your actions.
The takees or the takers?
Not the FDA? Not every Congress that has ramped up the war on drugs? Not the states that have treated public health issues as crimes? Not the prescription peddling docs? I hope you want a farce. Because you’ll be getting a farce.
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