Mar 9, 2019 - Health

Request denied: Purdue Pharma to appear in court as scheduled

Photo: Liz O. Baylen/Getty Images

Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman decided on Friday that Purdue Pharma — the infamous manufacturer of OxyContin — along with Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd., are due in court May 28 in a multibillion-dollar lawsuit, despite efforts to postpone the trial, reports Reuters.

Details: Oklahoma's Attorney General Mike Hunter has accused the companies of feeding the state's opioid epidemic. Reuters also reported that Purdue was considering filing for bankruptcy, alleging such action could give the company time to review legal liabilities and delay the court case. Purdue's attorney argued moving the trial to Sept. 16 was necessary because the state "belatedly turned over 1.6 million pages of records critical to Purdue's defense ... But the judge said the drugmakers had not established the state's actions had prejudiced them."

Go deeper: Purdue Pharma let doctors underestimate OxyContin's strength

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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

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