Pubdate: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 Source: Beckley Register-Herald (WV) Copyright: 2001 The Register-Herald Contact: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?brd86 Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1441 Author: Joe Myers Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?186 (Oxycontin) LAWSUIT FILED OVER OXYCONTIN DEATH LEWISBURG - The husband of a Greenbrier County woman who died two years ago after taking the painkiller OxyContin has filed suit against the doctor who prescribed the drug and the drug's manufacturers According to the lawsuit, Rebecca Ann Allen, 43, of Alderson, consulted Fairlea osteopath Debra Sams in 1998 for a painful back injury. Sams prescribed OxyContin. Allen became addicted to the drug and eventually overdosed on it in October 1999. The lawsuit claims Sams was negligent for failing to warn Allen of the risks of OxyContin and failing to properly monitor her treatment. The lawsuit also claims the manufacturers and marketing firms knew the drug could cause dangerous addiction yet withheld that information. The companies also provided false and misleading information about the drug, the lawsuit claims. Companies named as defendants are Purdue Pharma L.P., The Purdue Frederick Co., Purdue Pharmaceuticals L.P., The P.F. Laboratories Inc., PRA Holdings Inc. and Abbott Laboratories. The companies are located in Delaware and New Jersey. The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount of damages for Allen's estate. The lawsuit was filed Oct. 2 in Greenbrier County Circuit Court by the Charleston law firm of Hunt & Serreno. Allen's husband, Brian W. Allen, the administrator of her estate, is listed as the plaintiff. Attorney Mark Hunt said his firm has "several hundred" other clients who are seeking damages from the use of OxyContin, and he hopes to combine all the claims in a class-action lawsuit. About 10 of the cases involve people who died from using the drug, he said. "These lawsuits are aimed at the manufacturer," Hunt said. "We consider OxyContin to be a defective product. The manufacturer over-promoted the drug." The firm has also filed a lawsuit in McDowell County, he said. West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw has filed a class-action lawsuit in McDowell County Circuit Court to recoup state funds related to the use of OxyContin, he noted. Sams did not return a phone call seeking comment. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth