Clark County Suing Opioid Manufacturers

LAS VEGAS, NV - Clark County is taking action against Big Pharma in a lawsuit filed in district court on Thursday that aims to recover damages lost in southern Nevada's version of the nationwide opioid epidemic.

Clark County Commission approved the lawsuit in a meeting on Tuesday. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson will team with law firm Eglet Prince on the case.

Agenda documents from the Tuesday meeting say the lawsuit is necessary to recover costs incurred by Clark County for "the primary brunt of law enforcement, social services, and addiction treatment efforts."

Wolfson and the county moved forward with the litigation despite concerns expressed by Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt. Laxalt has expressed concern that a lawsuit could interfere with his own investigation into the marketing practices of drug manufacturers. Documents from Tuesday's meeting of Clark County commissioners state, "This prospective lawsuit will not conflict or interfere with any efforts of the Attorney General to investigate deceptive trade practices relating to drug manufacturers and distributors."

Opioid Stats In Nevada

From 2010 to 2015, opioid poisoning in Clark County declined by 21 percent. Statewide, opioid related deaths around Nevada have slowly declined from 436 in 2010 to 387 in 2016.

During those years, Nevada came in above the national average in the number of opioid prescriptions statewide. In 2012, only 14 states prescribed more prescriptions than the 94 per 100 residents prescribed by Nevada doctors. The number dipped to 82 per 100 residents in 2015, but was climbing again last year with 87 prescriptions per 100 residents in 2016.

Lawsuit Background

Eglet Prince will represent Clark County as the plaintiff in the case. The 23 defendants named are Purdue Pharma, L.P., Purdue Pharma, Inc., The Purdue Frederick Company, Inc., Purdue Pharmaceuticals, L.P., Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., Cephalon, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceutica, Inc., Ortho-Mcneil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Endo Health Solutions Inc., Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Allergan PLC, Actavis, Inc., Watson Laboratories, Inc., Actavis LLC, Actavis Pharma, Inc., Amerisourcebergen Drug Corporation, Cardinal Health, Inc., Mckesson Corporation, Masters Pharmaceutical, LLC, C & R Pharmacy, and Zoe Pharmacies.

Laxalt is leaving his position as Attorney General to run for governor in 2018. Nevada state Senate Democratic Leader Aaron Ford, who practices at Eglet Prince, announced he would be running for Nevada Attorney General earlier this year. The firm told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that Ford will not be involved in the litigation.

As part of the approval, Eglet Prince will pay for the costs of the trial and cap contingent fees at 25 percent of recovery, commission documents show.

Image via Toby Talbot/Associated Press