Nevada secures $4.1 million in settlement with opioid marketing giant Publis
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Nevada will get $4.1 million from a company that developed sales tactics to market OxyContin to doctors based on conversations involving their patients.
The settlement, a share of a $350 million from a multinational marketing firm called Publis, is the latest in the state’s efforts in the battle against the harm done to Nevadans by opioid abuse and addiction. Publis acknowledged the harm it caused and agreed to stop accepting work related to opioid-based drugs, according to a news release from Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford on Friday.
Publis did marketing work for companies like Purdue Pharma — “Big Pharma” companies that profited by selling prescription opioids. Those companies are now shelling out millions to states to settle litigation.
Publis will also disclose on a public website thousands of internal documents detailing its work for opioid companies.
“As I have said time and time again, we will never stop holding accountable those who have harmed Nevadans through their casual indifference for the consequences of this opioid epidemic,” Ford said. “I am proud to see another company held accountable for their wanton disregard for the health of others, and I am pleased the state has further funds to mitigate the harms of this horrible epidemic.”
Publis developed sales tactics “that relied on farming data from recordings of personal health-related in-office conversations between patients and providers. The company was also instrumental in Purdue’s decision to market OxyContin to providers on patient’s electronic health records,” according to the news release.
The Nevada Attorney General’s Office has brought in over $1.1 billion so far through efforts to hold companies responsible “for creating and fueling the crisis,” Ford’s office said.
The multistate settlement with Publis was led by the attorney general of Colorado, one of 10 states on an executive committee pursuing the settlement.
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