Below is a paragraph from the CDC guidelines for opiate prescribing… that is specific about them not applying to those receiving palliative care

Below that is two ICD-10 billing codes for palliative care… specifically for pain..

Below that is the WHO (World Health Organization ) definition of what palliative care is

Palliative care is normally part of Hospice care…but… palliative care can be provided as a separate/distinctive modality  of  care.

In 2015 the Florida Board of Pharmacy has to pass a new regulation that requires Pharmacists NOT TO START LOOKING FOR A REASON NOT TO FILL A CONTROLLED PRESCRIPTION…but to first start looking for a reason to fill one… attempting to do their due diligence to perceived RED FLAGS.

With the publishing of the CDC guidelines has all too many prescribers… in fear/paranoia of the DEA coming around trying to apply the DEA “guidelines” as the law  chosen to use the most restrictive part of the dosing guidelines  (90 mg/day Morphine Equivalents) as a mandatory limits… regardless of what the rest of the guidelines state about those exempt from those limits.  Those chronic pain pts who chose to actively participate in their own care and attempt to educate their prescriber about the full intent of the CDC guidelines may not only get better care for themselves, but also for other pts using the same prescriber.

http://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/prescribing/patients.html

CDC developed the new Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain to help primary care providers make informed prescribing decisions and improve patient care for those who suffer from chronic pain (pain lasting more than 3 months) in outpatient settings. The guideline is not intended for patients who are in active cancer treatment, palliative care, or end-of-life care.

https://www.wellstar.org/about-us/icd-10/documents/top_diagnosis_codes_(crosswalks)/palliative%20top%20diagnosis%20codes%20(crosswalk).pdf

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Clinton plans to prevent drug price hikes with federal oversight group

Instead of suggesting that the FDA approve generic products that are being used in Europe that are trying to get FDA approval and let the “free market place” to do its work.. Clinton is suggesting more bureaucracy – and cost – to help save us money… that is the reason why 50 yrs ago … average Rx price was $4 and change and there was no generics… no Medicare.. No Medicaid… all insurance companies were not for profit … no PBM and other middlemen .. with their cost infrastructure and for profit motives… all the while they are promising to save the system money…  It’s doesn’t take a PhD in Economics to figure out that adding multiple levels of middlemen will not save a system money.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/sep/02/hillary-clinton-drug-price-hike-mylan-epipen

Amid public outcry over a sharp increase in the cost of the EpiPen, a life-saving drug to stop an anaphylactic allergy attack, Hillary Clinton has unveiled a plan to prevent “unjustified price hikes” for older prescription drugs.

Clinton’s proposal would create a team of representatives from federal agencies that would investigate and monitor the cost of long-available prescription drugs with little or no competition to protect consumers from so-called “price gouging”. The plan sets out criteria for determining “an excessive, outlier price increase” and a set of enforcement tools that include making alternative drugs available and imposing fines or penalties to help fund expanded access.

“Over the past year, we’ve seen far too many examples of drug companies raising prices excessively for longstanding, life-saving treatments with little or no new innovation or [research and development],” Clinton said in a statement. “It’s time to move beyond talking about these price hikes and start acting to address them.”

Last week, Clinton called on Mylan, the manufacturer of EpiPen, to reduce the cost of the medical device after reports highlighted that its price rose by 461%, from from $56.64 to $317.82, since 2007, when the company acquired the product.

In a statement, Clinton called the price hike “outrageous” a “troubling example” of pharmaceutical companies taking advantage of consumers. “Since there is no apparent justification in this case, I am calling on Mylan to immediately reduce the price of EpiPens,” Clinton said in a statement.

In response to the uproar, Mylan said it would launch a generic EpiPen version that is identical to the brand-name device but significantly less expensive, with a list price of $300 for a two-pack. The company also announced earlier that it would offer additional financial assistance, including co-payments worth $300, to patients who have to pay the full out-of-pocket price for the device.

Last year, Clinton outlined a plan to tackle the rising costs of prescription drugs amid outrage over the staggering price increase of Daraprim, a drug that treats life-threatening parasitic infection. The startup company responsible, Turing Pharmaceuticals, owned by controversial former hedge fund manager Martin Shkreli, acquired the decades-old drug and raised the cost from $13.50 to $750 per pill.

That plan would deny tax breaks for pharmaceutical companies that market medicines directly to consumers, a controversial and costly practice legal only in the US and New Zealand, according to the World Health Organization. Clinton also said she would push companies to invest in research and development in exchange for federal subsidies.

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Legal medical marijuana date won’t help most patients

http://www.wkyc.com/news/health/legal-medical-marijuana-date-wont-help-most-patients/312899831

While many people are looking forward to this long Labor Day weekend, others have their sights set on Sept. 8, the day medical marijuana becomes legal in Ohio.

In June, Ohio was the 25th state to legalize a comprehensive medical marijuana program. 

There’s no licensed legal businesses to grow, process or sell marijuana or marijuana products in Ohio.

But patients with one of 19 medical conditions — including cancer, glaucoma, epilepsy and extreme pain — will be able to go to states where medical marijuana is legally sold, buy it and return to Ohio to use it. They would need a doctor’s note or authorization.

But not all states permit sales to non-residents.

And flying to other states to get it could pose problems. as marijuana is still illegal under federal law, so it could be a potential legal problem if a person with it is apprehended.

And right now there are no legal marijuana businesses in Ohio and there won’t be for some time.

So Sept. 8 is not a benchmark date for activity in Ohio.

Still to come? A 13-person advisory panel must still be picked by the governor and legislature to work with the State Commerce Department, Medical Board and Board of Pharmacy to to draw up regulations to grow, process and sell marijuana and its derivative products. The deadline for regulations is May 2017.

Some Ohio cities are concerned about possible enforcement issues and other problems if marijuana businesses come to town. The new law gives cities local control. Despite the fact that licensing of farms, processing facilities and retail dispensaries is still some time away, some cities are moving to ban or control marijuana businesses.

And state law forbids marijuana businesses from being within 500 feet of a school, library, church or playground, so that’s another consideration.

For example, Lakewood and Brooklyn have passed six month moratoriums on opening any marijuana businesses.  Lakewood is also halting changing zoning or building laws to permit them.

The state’s new legal marijuana industry is not expected to be completely up and running until September 2018.

According to the Associated Press, here is what is in the plan and what is not in the plan:

In The Plan:

•   Adults could buy and use oil, tinctures, plant material, edibles and patches with a doctor’s recommendation. Parents could purchase these products for their children younger than 18 with a doctor’s referral.

•   The Ohio Department of Commerce would oversee those who grow, process and test medical marijuana. The Ohio Board of Pharmacy would register patients and caregivers and license dispensaries. The Ohio State Medical Board would handle certificates for doctors who want to recommend marijuana.

•   A program to reduce the cost of medical marijuana for veterans and others too poor to pay.

•   The ability to purchase medical marijuana from other states while Ohio sets up its program. This would expire 60 days after the pharmacy board establishes its rules.

•   Legal medical marijuana for people with these conditions: AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cancer, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Crohn’s disease, epilepsy or another seizure disorder, glaucoma, hepatitis C, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, pain that is chronic, severe, or intractable, Parkinson’s disease, positive status for HIV, posttraumatic stress disorder, sickle cell anemia, spinal cord disease or injury, Tourette’s syndrome, traumatic brain injury, and ulcerative colitis.

What’s Not In The Plan:

•   Smoking medical marijuana

•   Growing medical marijuana at home

•   Any details on who could grow marijuana commercially. That would be determined later by the Ohio Department of Commerce.

•   Any requirement that pharmacists oversee dispensaries.

•   Protections for employees fired from their jobs because they used medical marijuana.

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KENTUCKY PUBLIC HEALTH ALERT

I received this email at 9:56 AM this morning (Friday)..  with a recommendation that community pharmacies and other healthcare professionals – STOCK UP – on Naloxone for the Labor Day weekend..  Most community pharmacies get wholesaler deliveries daily Mon – Fri and the cut off for Friday’s delivery is normally around 6 PM YESTERDAY ( Thursday) and the stores will not get another wholesaler delivery until TUESDAY…  Sure looks like Kentucky Emergency Management System is right on top of things…???

The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) is hosting a special conference call today with medical personnel and emergency responders regarding the ongoing issue of heroin overdoses linked to fentanyl.  The call is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. EDT, Friday, September 2, for interested pharmacists and other health care professionals. The dial-in number is 866-570-4047.  The passcode is 75613975#.

Our region and our entire state are now threatened by a drug issue related to the appearance of contaminated heroin, typically mixed with fentanyl or other toxic substances. This is a very serious public health issue tied to a number of overdoses, hospitalizations and deaths across the country.

Over the upcoming days, DPH is asking our hospitals, pharmacies and EMS to help prepare for increases in drug overdoses so that individuals can be properly treated, deaths prevented and we all can be better informed about the prevalence and nature of these occurrences so they can be prevented.  We expect a possible increase in overdoses over this holiday weekend.  EMS, ER, and pharmacies must stock up on naloxone immediately.  KDPH is getting early reports that it now requires as much as three-fold the ordinary dose of naloxone to negate this newly compounded material.  These points will all be discussed in greater detail during today’s call.

If you need assistance, you can contact the Kentucky Emergency Management System at (502) 607-1638 Toll Free: (800) 255-2587, your local health department, or the Department for Public Health at 1-888-9REPORT (973-7678).

AGENDA

Public Health Alert Conference Call

Friday, September 2, 2016

11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M. EDT

Joining the Conference Call:

Prior to call start time, call the Dial-In Number: (866) 570-4047

Provide the Passcode: 75613975

TOPIC PRESENTER

Welcome and Overview Rick Johnson, BS (Facilitator)

Opening Remarks Hiram Polk, MD, Commissioner

Heroin/Fentanyl Current Situation Van Ingram, Office of Drug Control Policy

Medication Supply Plans, Training and Certification Programs Leah Tolliver, Pharm. D., Director of Pharmacy Emergency Preparedness, KPhA

Call to Action Hiram Polk, MD, Commissioner

Question and Answers – Next Steps All Participants

If you wish to stop receiving email from us, you can simply remove yourself by visiting: http://www.kphanet.org/members/EmailOptPreferences.aspx?id=41787697&e=steve@steveariens.com&h=1a09a410e76486f390957348f041436350b8f897

Kentucky Pharmacists Association
96 C. Michael Davenport Blvd.
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
www.kphanet.org
502-227-2303
Membership Matters: To YOU, To YOUR Patients, To YOUR Profession!

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Progress with Chinese selling synthetic drugs in US

http://www.wptz.com/health/progress-with-chinese-selling-synthetic-drugs-in-us/41489166

(CNN) —China’s ban on certain chemicals is being credited by Drug Enforcement Administration officials in a noticeable decrease in certain synthetic drugs in the United States.

Police encounters with six substances that were part of China’s 115-chemical ban have dropped dramatically (PDF) since it took effect in October, DEA numbers show.

Synthetic cannabinoids — commonly known as K2 or spice — stimulants similar to cocaine or MDMA and the notoriously dangerous synthetic known as flakka have fallen dramatically from they were last summer.

Flakka has all but disappeared from Florida, where it was wreaking havoc.

“We’ve definitely seen a significant decrease, especially of flakka,” Broward County Sheriff’s Lt. Ozzy Tianga said.

As a result, DEA officials say, they are optimistic that ongoing meetings with their Chinese counterparts can continue the trend. This month, 14 high-ranking DEA officials spent a week in Beijing and two other Chinese provinces, where they talked about how to work together to tackle the problem of Chinese chemists making and selling dangerous synthetic drugs in the United States.

DEA spokesman Russell Baer called it an “unprecedented dialogue between the two countries.”

China now faces a problem similar to one the United States has been struggling with: how to keep up with chemists who are constantly tweaking formulas to stay one step ahead of the law.

Tianga said he anticipated that new synthetics would show up in place of those banned, and officials have seen some of that, but the numbers have been nothing like last summer, when flakka use was at an alarming high.

“Overall, [synthetics have] significantly dropped since the ban — at the epicenter here in South Florida,” Tianga said. “But by no way are we out of the woods. There will be more molecular changes to substances that will be introduced to society.”

In Florida this summer, the Legislature approved and the governor signed a blanket ban of substances that have no practical use other than to get high.

Baer said the DEA is continuing to work with Chinese officials on a similar ban as they now battle a nationwide problem with synthetic fentanyl.

“They talked about continuing efforts to try to understand each other’s perspective of this problem,” he said. “Historically, we have not been able to talk about this stuff. We’ve now gotten to the point that China is listening to us and addressing some of the [drug] scheduling issues. They are their own country, and they have their own concerns. One [problem] people don’t understand is that China has an extensive commercial manufacturing program over there. These illicit substances … are a small part of that huge legitimate industry.”

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Police arrest 3 suspects after pharmacy robberies in Mooresville

About one year + ago all the major chains in Indianapolis/Marion County Indiana put in time delayed safes to help put a halt to all the pharmacy robberies – Indiana is/has been NUMBER ONE in pharmacy robberies out of all 50 states… So what did people interested in robbing pharmacies do?… they have started robbing pharmacy outside of Indianapolis. Mooresville is about 30 miles SW of Indianapolis and outside of Marion County. 

http://fox59.com/2016/09/02/police-arrest-3-suspects-after-pharmacy-robberies-in-mooresville/

MOORESVILLE, Ind. – Police in Morgan County arrested three suspects in connection with a series of recent pharmacy robberies.

On Saturday, Aug. 27, Mooresville police officers arrived at Walgreens, 115 Fields St., in response to a reported robbery. The suspect had already left when police got there.

Mooresville detectives were already out investigating another robbery and quickly arrived at the location to interview witnesses and gather surveillance video. Surveillance footage showed a man enter the store, talk to the cashier and then bring an item to the checkout. He gave the cashier a note saying he had a gun and handed over a list of prescription drugs for the cashier to retrieve.

The cashier was ordered to contact her manager; the cashier, manager and suspect all approached the pharmacist, who complied with the suspect’s demands and put the medications inside a bag. The man then left.

Detectives had investigated a Walgreens robbery from June 21, 2016, that was similar in nature. Police prepared a photo lineup and identified the suspect.

On Thursday, Morgan County sheriff’s deputies were at the Ricker’s gas station on Bridge Street when someone approached them about a suspicious car on Conduitt Drive. Deputies went to check on the vehicle and then stopped it. After identifying the men inside, they realized one of them was suspected in the Walgreens robberies.

Evidence found inside the car connected the suspects to the pharmacy robberies, police said. Investigators also believe the three men were getting ready to commit another robbery.

All three were arrested; police identified them as Ryan Curlin; 23; Devonte Harris, 23; and Donte Harris, 23. The suspects are all from Indianapolis.

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Class action says CVS has improperly called former Target pharmacy customers’ cell phones

http://cookcountyrecord.com/stories/511004262-class-action-says-cvs-has-improperly-called-former-target-pharmacy-customers-cell-phones

A Chicago man has hit CVS with a class action lawsuit, saying the drug store giant, which recently purchased all of Target’s retail pharmacies, should be made to pay out for allegedly calling former Target pharmacy customers, without their consent, using automated messages to remind the customers to take prescription medications or pick up prescription refills at CVS.

On Aug. 31, plaintiff Richard O’Hern filed suit in Cook County Circuit Court against CVS Pharmacy Inc., alleging CVS broke federal telecommunications laws by calling him on his mobile phone without his authorization, as the retailer may have done to perhaps thousands of others.

O’Hern is represented in the action by attorneys with the firm of Edelson P.C., of Chicago.

The lawsuit does not specify the amount of money O’Hern is demanding. But the lawsuit noted the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act allows for statutory damages of as much as $1,500 per unauthorized automated call.

According to the complaint, O’Hern said he had opted to use Target’s retail pharmacy to obtain his prescription medications, choosing the retailer specifically because Target “did not insist on regularly calling him.”

The lawsuit noted CVS, like other retail pharmacists, have a practice of sending automated messages to prescription medication users, purportedly remind them to properly take their medication, to remind them to pick up available prescriptions or to ask them to refill their prescriptions and other medications at CVS.

O’Hern said he had specifically instructed Target to never contact him on his mobile phone. The complaint said Target abided by that request.

However, in December 2015, CVS completed its acquisition of all of Target’s pharmacies nationwide. That acquisition included all contact information for all of Target’s former pharmacy customers.

In the months since, O’Hern said he has received repeated calls and messages from CVS, despite his “specific do-not-call instructions on file” with his customer records.

“Most of these calls were automated sales calls that were intended to badger plaintiff (O’Hern) into purchasing his prescriptions from CVS as opposed to some other pharmacy,” the complaint said. “None of these calls were for any sort of emergency, and none allowed for automated opt-outs through key-press or interactive voice commands.”

O’Hern said he personally traveled to a Chicago CVS store and “told the employees there to stop calling” his mobile phone. He said the employees showed him his customer file, which purportedly included his do-not-call instructions.

He alleged CVS then increased the frequency with which they called him.

And he said further calls also included specific medical information.

“(O’Hern) knows, both by date and by count, when he needs refills, and is entirely capable of managing his own medication schedules and of deciding for himself where to shop,” the complaint said. “Plaintiff does not need or desire to receive or pay for automated pharmacy calls that interrupt his day and consume his limited cellular telephone minutes.”

The lawsuit asked the court to approve classes of additional plaintiffs of former Target pharmacy customers who may have similarly received similar unwanted phone calls from CVS. Additional plaintiffs would include any U.S. residents who “received prescription ‘reminder’ call sent by or on behalf of CVS” on a mobile phone, and had previously been on Target’s pharmacy do-not-call lists.

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Patient Coded Due to Over Administration of Narcotic Painkillers

http://www.lawfirmnewswire.com/2016/09/patient-coded-due-to-over-administration-of-narcotic-painkillers/

Austin, TX (Law Firm Newswire) September 1, 2016 – Sarah Gann of Waco, Texas, went to hospital in extreme pain. Allegedly overdosed on narcotics by medical staff, she died days later.

Sarah Gann was admitted to Baylor Scott and White Hillcrest Hospital on October 5, 2011 in severe pain. complaining of back pain similar to a kidney stone. She was immediately started on narcotics.

According to the wrongful death, medical malpractice lawsuit filed in 170th District Court, the staff, including the prescribing doctor, did not check to determine if Dilaudid, the painkiller chosen, was needed. Dilaudid (hydromorphone) is an opioid pain medication and narcotic used to treat moderate to severe pain. It is known to slow or stop breathing, when first taken or whenever the dose is changed. Dilaudid is not to be used in larger amounts, or for longer than prescribed.

The statement of claim indicated that the staff allegedly injected the painkiller even while Gann was asleep. Gann was found non-reponsive and without a pulse the morning of October 7th. She was subsequently revived and moved to intensive care. On October 9th, Gann’s family was told there was no hope of recovery and she was removed from life support.

Daniel Gann, Mrs. Gann’s husband, who was a former chaplain at the Waco hospital, and his two minor children filed a lawsuit against Scott & White Memorial Hospital, doing business as Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, asking the court for more than $1 million in compensation.

The family elected to file a wrongful death, medical negligence lawsuit alleging that the nursing staff negligently administered the narcotic, even when Gann was sleeping, without checking if it was needed. According to documents submitted with the statement of claim, Gann’s patient record indicated she was to get programmed doses for three days – October 5 – 7. However, a new shift nurse made a notation that Gann was not in pain on October 7 when the midnight shift came on duty.

Despite the notation, Gann was given 2 mgs of morphine between 12:14 and 12:18 a.m., 2 more mgs at 1:30 a.m. and then another 1 mg at 2 a.m. and yet another dose of 1 mg at 5:13 a.m. At 3:00 a.m. a respiratory therapist indicated Gann did not need any additional monitoring even though she was regularly being given high doses of Dilaudid. At 7:06 a.m. Gann was found non-responsive and was revived and placed on life support. She was pronounced dead at 11:41 p.m.

Experts from the CDPAP Agency New York, indicated that but for the failures of the hospital staff, Gann would not have died when and how she did. The experts offered opinions that the frequent narcotic administration without monitoring and checking was outside the scope of usual/standard care and did not meet the standards of doctor/nursing/pharmacy care for patients on opiates. “In other words, Mrs. Gann’s death was avoidable,” said Brooks Schuelke, an Austin wrongful death attorney, not involved in the case.

Based on the evidence as submitted, it appears that this lawsuit may stand a good chance of succeeding, particularly since the expert medical opinion addendums were quite explicit that the hospital failed to care for their patient in an acceptable manner. Her death was a preventable adverse drug reaction.
“There are four elements to a wrongful death medical malpractice lawsuit that must be present prior to filing,” added Schuelke, “and they are duty, breach of duty, damages and causation – all elements that must be proven by the plaintiff. If any of the four elements is not present or not satisfied, medical malpractice is not proven.”

Wrongful death lawsuits are difficult and often take a great deal of time to get to settlement or to court. “Should you be in a situation such as this one, do not hesitate to contact our office for information on your legal rights pertaining to wrongful death lawsuit,” he stated.

Learn more at http://www.civtrial.com

Perlmutter & Schuelke, PLLC
206 East 9th Street, Ste. 1511
Austin, TX 78701
Call (512) 476-4944

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Husted rejects all 194,375 signatures on proposed drug price ballot issue

This past week I had a article published on National Pain Report  http://nationalpainreport.com/why-do-my-medications-cost-so-much-8831321.html   “Why Do My Medications Cost So Much?”  and
I stated that middlemen take 25%-30% of the retail price to fund their infrastructure and profit motives..  This article states that the Veterans’ Administration hospital system pays  $183 for Epipens that cost at the neighborhood pharmacy $608.  Why is the VA able to buy it for so much less.. BECAUSE THERE IS NO MIDDLEMEN in getting the medication from the manufacturer to the pt.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/blogs/the-daily-briefing/2016/09/09.01.2016-husted-rejects-signatures.html

Secretary of State Jon Husted yesterday rejected 194,375 signatures on a petition seeking to place a drug price control issue on the ballot next year.

The requirement is 91,677 valid signatures of registered voters to make the ballot.

Backers of the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act attempted to file 22 boxes of signatures on the petition, which proposes that state agencies would pay no more for drugs than U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, estimated at 40 percent lower than current prices. Backers say the act, if put into law, would have a positive  spillover effect for consumers. Opponents counter that the move could backfire, forcing prices up and making some drugs less available.

Husted’s office refused to accept the signatures in line with a motion he filed with the Ohio Supreme Court earlier this week. Husted argues the court has not given approval to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the main sponsor, to proceed with the proposal as an initiated statute. The organization previously submitted signatures to place the issue on the ballot this year, but fell short after being challenged by attorneys for the powerful Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and Ohio Manufacturers’ Association.

Husted and the court previously invalidated thousands of signtures because of various improprieties.

The court has not made it clear, however, exactly what the next step should be for Drug Price Relief Act backers. As an initiated statue, it was first submitted to the General Assembly, which failed to take action within the four-month timeframe. At that point, the issue got snarled in the fight with Husted and PhRMA.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation immediately filed an emergency motion with the Ohio Supreme Court.

Tracy Jones, regional director for backers of the drug act, called Husted “a front man for Big Pharma, carrying water for a greedy, morally bankrupt industry that is one step above the tobacco industry in the eyes of the public.”

Jones cited costs of the Epi-pen as a example of potential savings. The manufacturer’s price is $608, but the Veterans Administration pays $183.

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SUING SOURCE: NY county goes after opioid drug makers

http://www.pressconnects.com/story/news/2016/09/01/suing-suffolk-county-opioid-addiction-oxycontin/89707544/

Remember the TOBACCO SETTLEMENT from the last of the 20th century … where the tobacco manufacturers agreed to:

the original participating manufacturers (OPM) agreed to pay a minimum of $206 billion over the first 25 years of the agreement.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobacco_Master_Settlement_Agreement

That money “dries up” in 2025 and you know how slow our legal system is … with the time involved in the appeal(s) process. Is the pharmaceutical manufacturers the target to “replace” those funds… like a addict looking for their next “FIX” ?

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. — A suburban New York county struggling to curb an epidemic of opioid overdoses sued 11 pharmaceutical companies Wednesday, including the makers of OxyContin and Percocet, alleging they misled the public and doctors about the addictiveness of powerful prescription painkillers.

Suffolk County filed the lawsuit against pharmaceutical giants Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin; Endo Health Solutions, which makes Percocet and Percodan; and Johnson & Johnson, the maker of painkillers Duragesic and Nucynta.

The suit, which seeks unspecified monetary damages, alleges the companies engaged in deceptive business practices by marketing highly addictive and dangerous pain medication and “misleading consumers and medical providers” about the risks of taking the drugs.

It follows on the heels of similar lawsuits elsewhere in the country in the past few years, including claims by the city of Chicago and two counties in California. Purdue Pharma settled a lawsuit last year brought by Kentucky for $24 million, but did not admit any wrongdoing.

A spokesman for Purdue Pharma declined to comment Wednesday.

Jessica Castles Smith, a spokeswoman for Johnson & Johnson’s drug company, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, said the allegations in the suit were “both legally and factually unfounded.”

She said the company acted appropriately and in the best interests of its patients. The company’s painkillers, she noted, carry federally-required warning labels alerting consumers about the risks of addiction.

An Endo spokeswoman said the company had not been formally notified of the lawsuit and does not comment on pending litigation.

Suffolk County legislator Rob Calarco, a Democrat, said at a news conference Wednesday with the county’s executive, Steve Bellone, that the pharmaceutical companies encouraged doctors to prescribe the powerful pain medication without properly warning medical providers that patients could become easily addicted.

The companies “not only misled the public, but more importantly they misinformed doctors who are responsible for prescribing the medication,” he said. “Despite the best evidence proving otherwise, they deceptively told our doctors and the public at large these things are safe.”

County officials said they believe a surge in addiction to legal painkillers ultimately fueled a broader opioid addiction epidemic on Long Island that has led many users to an illicit drug, heroin.

There have been more than 200 fatal overdoses and more than 1,000 non-fatal overdoses in Suffolk County this year, said the county’s police commissioner Tim Sini.

“There’s no question that the intelligence we’ve gathered suggests the start of this epidemic was from painkillers,” he said. “When an Oxy pill can cost $80 on the street, people couldn’t afford to keep their habits and gravitate toward heroin, which is sometimes as cheap as $5 a bag.

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