OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma loses bid to delay opioid epidemic trials

(Reuters) – OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma LP and two other drug addicts on Friday lost a bid to delay a landmark trial in May in a multibillion-dollar lawsuit by Oklahoma lawyer general accusing them of helping fuel an opioid abuse and overdose epidemic in the condition.

Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman's decision was a victory for the state, even though one of the state's lawyers said Purdue had threatened to file bankruptcy instead of meeting the first trial of about 2,000 national lawsuits.

"This case must come to trial because people die every day," Reggie Whitten, the lawyer for the state, said during a hearing in Norman, Oklahoma.

Reuters, referring to people who are familiar with the case, reported Monday that Stamford, Connecticut-based Purdue, owned by members of the affluent Sackler family, explored Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection application. Doing so will make it possible to handle potential legal obligations while the case is stopped.

Eric Pinker, Purdue's lawyer, did not mention a potential bankruptcy, claiming that on May 28, the trial of Oklahoma Prosecutor General Mike Hunter against it, Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd would be delayed.

He said the delay of the trial until September 16 was necessary because the state delayed over 1.6 million pages of records that were critical to Purdue's defense. "This case is not in a position where it can quite and fully test in May this year," Pinker said.

But the judge said the drug companies had not established the state's actions had worse ones.

Purdue in a statement said it "categorically" denies that the government will influence on that films for bankruptcy. Purdue said it was "looking at all their options" but had not made any decisions.

Opioids, including prescription painkillers, heroin and fentanyl, were involved in a record of 47,600 overdose deaths in 2017, according to U.S. Pat. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The epidemic has led to lawsuits from state and local authorities accusing Purdue and other drugs to contribute to the crisis through misleading marketing that reduced the risk of addictive opioids.

Companies deny fraud, noting that the drugs carry warning labels and point to other factors behind the epidemic.

More than 1,600 lawsuits are consolidated before a federal judge in Ohio, who has pushed for a settlement before the trial before he October. Other issues, including Oklahoma, are expected in state courts.