The Legal Examiner Affiliate Network The Legal Examiner The Legal Examiner The Legal Examiner search instagram avvo phone envelope checkmark mail-reply spinner error close The Legal Examiner The Legal Examiner The Legal Examiner
Skip to main content

Mid-Michigan and the rest of the country have been ravaged by the opioid epidemic. The President is set to declare a national emergency on the issue. Drug overdose deaths are currently the leading cause of death in the United States. From 2000 to 2015, more than half a million people died of opioid drug overdoses in the United States—a staggering rate of 91 people per day.

Communities can and should fight back against Big Pharma for their role in causing the opioid epidemic. Big time pharmaceutical manufacturers like Purdue Pharma, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, and others engaged in a fraudulent marketing scheme that persisted for decades to mislead physicians into believing that opioids were a safe and nonaddictive treatment for chronic pain and other conditions. . In fact, opioids such as OxyContin are highly habit forming and ineffective at treating chronic pain due to tolerance development. Prior to Big Pharma’s deceptive marketing campaign, opioids were primarily used by physicians sparingly to treat short-term acute pain, such as those recovering from surgery, and for those seeking palliative, end-of-life care These allegations are eerily similar to those leveled against big tobacco for misrepresenting the risks and dangers associated with smoking.

Municipalities and state governments can and should fight back against Big Pharma. Litigation has been filed all over the country by state and local governments to hold opioid manufacturers responsible for their role in this public health crisis, which has resulted in serious financial hardship on communities in providing resources to fight drug addiction and drug overdose cases.

Church Wyble P.C., a division of Grewal Law PLLC, has the expertise and a proven track record of success in complex civil litigation in protecting the rights of injured people. Attorney David Mittleman recently attended the American Association for Justice’s Opioid Litigation Seminar in Washington, D.C. to work with and build a national team of dedicated professionals to fight for justice in a coordinated attack on all fronts.

Church Wyble P.C. has been serving the Mid-Michigan area since 1951. We are working with a team of lawyers across Michigan and across the United States to fight to put an end to the opioid epidemic and to reimburse communities for their expenses incurred in this entirely preventable public health crisis. We are working with attorneys with a reputation for excellence, such as Mark Bernstein of The Sam Bernstein Law Firm and Paul Novak and Paul Pennock of the national personal injury firm, Weitz & Luxenberg.

If you are interested in learning more about the opioid litigation, please contact Church Wyble P.C. at (517) 372-1011. We would be happy to speak and present at local, county, and state governmental meetings to discuss the ways that our firm can assist you in fighting the opioid epidemic.

6 Comments

  1. Gravatar for jesse
    jesse

    Now what's gonna happen when ya get these prescription medication outlawed,and people with chronic pain issues can't get them from their doctors? I agree there is a problem with people that abuse them,but this is going to hurt the people that need then and take them as directed.

  2. Gravatar for David
    David

    Jesse, I understand your concern. As passionate as I am about this issue, I am compassionate and not unmindful of People suffering from Chronic Pain. But the use of Opioids for Chronic Pain is Not approved by the FDA. I don't give medical advice, but urge U to talk to your Doctor about alternatives and get a 2nd opinion. Good luck and thank U for reading my Post. David

  3. Gravatar for Debra McWilliams
    Debra McWilliams

    The FDA is not a "doctor"; the FDA allows pharmaceutical companies to produce their own studies (generally falsified because they have spent millions developing a drug and want to hurry up and make billions on their patented new drug) rest assured they did the math; by the time the public figures out they have been dupped and a few lawsuits are filed, the settlements are but mere pennies on the dollars. Oh and dont forget the people in the FDA are then given cushy million dollar jobs at the pharmaceutical companies after they have fast tracked and approved these harmful and sometimes lethal medications.

  4. Gravatar for Linda Back
    Linda Back

    There are voices missing here...far too many. I would urge you to include the voices of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, the American Academy of Integrative Pain Management, the National College of Physicians, PAINWeek, Pain News Network, National Pain Report, and/or the US Pain Foundation. Commission staff should be able to identify other physicians who are deeply trained in this field.

    In addition, I urge you to remember that there are people who depend on pain medication in order to just function. I am one of these. Pain medications were taken away from me, even though I have had no issues with it. It was taken because OTHER people have. On top of that the pill mills were closed by 2012. The opiate issue we have now in this country is caused less by legal and needed prescriptions for pain and more by those using illegal means to get their drugs.

    If this continues...it will cause massive amounts of people either going to the street to find relief, or committing suicide because they can find none.

    If you would take a good look at the statistics you will find that while overdoses are going up, prescriptions for opiates have gone down drastically...there is a flaw here. Find it and fix that, instead of persecuting pain patients that are fast loosing any hope.

  5. Gravatar for Lois
    Lois

    Far too many hands in the mix- need to get back to basics where people have one Dr managing care and any specialist work with primary for plan of care - by having option of four or more drs in place larger opportunity of getting far too many drugs prescribed! In this age of technology more emphasis placed on computers and documenting then actual care of or time spent listening to patients and getting the bigger picture. Physicians leaving due to more emphasis on regulations than actual care

  6. Gravatar for Jackie
    Jackie

    My Only Comment Here, is: Linda Black Couldn't Have Said it Better. Absolutely Nailed it. No Frills, No Extras, just Perfectly Articulated the Bottom Line. Wonderful Job, Linda. Thank You Thank You Thank You

Comments for this article are closed.