Now targeting vaping
Florida and other states have reached a settlement with a generic drug maker in the ongoing opioid epidemic that officials say is killing 15 Floridians a day. A task force is poised to present its recommendations this month on how to combat the crisis. Meanwhile, the state is joining forces with 39 other states to now go after e-cigarette maker Juul over its marketing practices to underage teenagers.
Irish drug maker Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals has tentatively agreed to pay $1.6 billion in a national settlement of thousands of lawsuits over opioid addictions and deaths. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody called it “a step in the right direction” in helping victims who were deceived by opioid pill manufacturers in their marketing of highly addictive and sometimes lethal drugs.
The state is still involved in a separate 2018 lawsuit against other drug manufacturers, distributors, and sellers of opioids that now includes drug store chains Walgreen and CVS. It’s seeking to recoup millions of dollars spent combatting the opioid epidemic.
The Florida Statewide Task Force on Opioid Abuse is expected to issue a report this month with recommendations on how to combat the addiction problem. Opioid-related deaths are on the decline from a high of 6,178 in 2017 to 5,576 in 2018, about a 10% drop. Fentanyl has remained a consistent problem though.
The state also has e-cigarette makers in their sights. Attorney General Moody is one of five state attorneys general leading an investigation into Juul Labs, makers of the Juul electronic cigarette, the market leader in the vaping craze. In all, 39 states have now signed onto the probe, looking at Juul’s marketing practices, truth in advertising on claims about nicotine content and safety, as well as whether the company targeted underage teens.
While vaping is considered a lot healthier than traditional smoking and has helped smokers kick the habit, it’s become an increasingly larger draw for younger folks, with concerns about the health effects of nicotine. In the past year, Juul has stopped sales of flavored e-cigarettes that were popular among teens and announced it would stop all U.S. advertising.
LMA Newsletter of 3-2-20
