Ohio Settles Lawsuit Against Prescription Drug Company

COLUMBUS, OH — A coalition of states, including Ohio, have settled a lawsuit with drug distributor Reckitt Benckiser Group, with Ohio receiving $39.4 million under the deal. The lawsuit accused the company of improper marketing of Suboxone, a drug that helps recovering opioid addicts reduce withdrawal symptoms.

“This firm downplayed the risks of Suboxone while marketing it to providers who sidestepped the rules for prescribing opioids,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “These are the sort of practices that landed us in this opioid crisis.”

The coalition of states accused Reckitt Benckiser of improper marketing of Suboxone, causing false claims to be submitted to government health care program between 2010 and 2014. The active ingredient in Suboxone is buprenorphine, an opioid.

In total, Reckitt Benckiser agreed to a $700 million multistate settlement. The company has denied all wrongdoing in statements to the media.

The lawsuit accused the firm of knowingly promoting Suboxone to doctors, doctors who prescribed the drug to patients for uses that were "unsafe, ineffective and medically unnecessary," Yost's office said.

The company was also accused of making fictitious claims about Suboxone Sublingual Film, another form of the drug. Yost's office said the Reckitt Benckiser claimed the drug was less prone to abuse and accidental pediatric exposure than similar products.

The settlement and investigation were led by the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units, with representatives from the state attorneys general offices of California, Indiana, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Washington.

The federal government settled a similar lawsuit against Reckitt Benckiser in mid-July.

“We are confronting the deadliest drug crisis in our nation’s history. Opioid withdrawal is difficult, painful, and sometimes dangerous; people struggling to overcome addiction face challenges that can often seem insurmountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt, when that settlement was announced. “Drug manufacturers marketing products to help opioid addicts are expected to do so honestly and responsibly.”