This past week, Arkansas became one of a handful of states to file suit against the manufacturers of opioid pain pills. In other states, such as Ohio, we saw this happen months ago. Finally, the hospitals in Arkansas have decided to follow suit – and, file suit.
The lawsuits were filed by 15 hospitals in Arkansas. The defendants are the manufacturers, distributors and retailers of opioid medications. Some of the biggest companies named in the lawsuit include:
- Johnson and Johnson
- Abbott Laboratories
- Purdue Pharma
There are 40 other defendants named in the action.
The suit was filed in Washington County Circuit Court on January 14th but was amended on January 27, 2020. The suit alleges that the defendants were negligent in marketing the opioid medications to residents of Arkansas. The hospitals also argue that the defendants were fraudulent and engaged in a civil conspiracy.
Obviously, the opioid patients are the biggest victims here, as are the families of the addicts who have died from an overdose. However, the hospitals claim that they were also hit hard.
The average hospital stay for a patient with an opioid-related illness or overdose is $28,000. In Arkansas, only about 20% of all patients care was covered by insurance. This means the hospitals bore the brunt of these costs.
The overdose rate in Arkansas is much higher than the average for other states. The average overdose rate in the U.S., according to the CDC, was 5.4 people for every 100,000 people. In Arkansas, this rate was 14% last year. And, there are twice as many opioids prescribed in Arkansas than in the average state.
If your loved one has been injured as a result of using prescription opioid medications, call our experienced lawyers right away.
Source: https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2020/feb/05/arkansas-hospitals-join-opioid-lawsuits/