CT Attorney General sues FDA over OxyContin

Following on years of attempts to urge the FDA into action, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has filed a suit in federal court that attempts to force the FDA to issue stronger warnings about OxyContin dosing. In 2003, Blumenthal mounted an investigation into the drug's labeling and use, concluding that while the drug is designed for 12-hour dosing, drug maker Purdue Pharma knew that 20 percent of the time, it was prescribed to be used in dosing intervals of eight hours or less. The next year, Blumenthal filed a "citizen petition" with the FDA asking that it issue warnings related to OxyContin dosing, but the FDA didn't respond as he had hoped. The new lawsuit asks the court to find that the FDA's failure to respond to the petition was unlawful, and forces it to issue stronger warnings on OxyContin prescribing. Purdue already has been hit with more than $600 million in fines after regulators concluded that it had misrepresented the risks of using the drug.

To learn more about the case:
- read this press release

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