Prosecutors’ lawsuit says opioid drug makers deceived public
NASHVILLE — A new lawsuit invokes the plight of a baby born dependent on opioid drugs, as three Tennessee prosecutors and the baby’s guardian accuse several drug manufacturers of unleashing an epidemic through deceptive marketing about the risks of addiction to painkillers.
“Baby Doe spent his first days in the neonatal intensive care unit writhing in agony as he went through detoxification,” according to the suit filed Tuesday in the Sullivan County Circuit Court in Kingsport, Tennessee. The infant boy, who is not identified, was born in March of 2015.
The baby born to an addicted mother survived after spending 14 days in a neonatal intensive care unit, often crying uncontrollably and was given morphine to wean him from his dependency, the suit says. The child, the documents say, continues to suffer from numerous health and learning disabilities.
The lawsuit was filed by three district attorneys who represent parts of the east Tennessee mountains in Appalachia, which has been the epicenter of the prescription drug epidemic that has ravaged the country. It’s among a growing number of lawsuits filed recently around the country against opioid drugmakers.