In America, tens of thousands of people die from opioid drug overdoses each year. Opioid-involved hospitalizations and death rates are staggering, affecting every corner of the country. At Fibich, Leebron, Copeland & Briggs, we believe that prescribers and pharmaceutical companies should be held responsible for these preventable deaths and other opioid-related injuries.
If you or a loved one has been affected by the opioid crisis, contact Fibich, Leebron, Copeland & Briggs at (713) 751-0025 for a free consultation. Call now to schedule a free consultation with an experienced opioid lawyer that can help you understand your rights and file a lawsuit.
Since 1992, we have been fighting for injury victims, always working to obtain the maximum compensation available in their case. Based in Houston, Texas, our attorneys represent victims harmed by opioids nationwide.
Too numerous are the devastating stories of families who have lost loved ones due to opioid abuse. Hidden within these stories are the unethical or unlawful actions of physicians, pharmacists, drug manufacturers, and drug distributors.
Our opioid lawyers, based in Houston, Texas, can help hold these parties accountable for their contribution to the opioid crisis and the harm it has caused. The opioid crisis has claimed far too many lives and has left millions of others addicted to a deadly substance.
In opioid litigation, we hold parties accountable for:
If you or a loved one have been injured by opioid use, you need an attorney who knows how to stand up to pharmaceutical giants and individual prescribers.
Opioid litigation can be complex. In addition to the potential for multiple defendants, opioid lawsuits require the subpoenaing of evidence, taking witness depositions, and working with a team of medical experts.
The opioid crisis is far from over. Lawsuits continue throughout the country, as judges and juries consider the atrocities committed in the name of profits.
If you have lost a family member to an opioid drug overdose, you might be entitled to compensation. The experienced trial lawyers at Fibich, Leebron, Copeland & Briggs can help you recover damages in an opioid lawsuit.
Call our office today to speak with a knowledgeable Houston opioid lawyer.
Opioids are a class of drugs that can have devastating consequences when misused, improperly prescribed, or used without adequate warning about the side effects and potential for addiction.
Common injuries and accidents related to opioid use include:
Opioid lawsuits are not limited to manufacturers and distributors. Depending on the case, there may be multiple defendants that can be held liable for damages or wrongful death.
Defendants in opioid litigation can include:
The inconceivable number of deaths related to prescription and illicit opioid use has led to action at every level of government and in countless courts across the country.
Thousands of opioid lawsuits have been filed across the country against multiple defendants, including pharmaceutical giants, distributors, individual physicians, pharmacies, and more.
It is imperative to consult with an experienced opioid lawyer if you suspect wrongdoing by an individual or company.
Litigation has hinged on a number of factors, including whether the defendants overprescribed opioids, manufacturers failed to adequately warn about the potential for addiction, or used deceptive and misleading advertising to promote their products.
Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, settled multiple multi-million dollar lawsuits for aggressive, false, and misleading marketing as well as making material misrepresentations to prescribers about the drug’s addictive qualities.
Purdue has since faced civil and criminal penalties from a number of regulatory agencies, including the Department of Justice, recently agreeing to an $8 billion global resolution. The opioid manufacturer has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy amid the litigation.
Johnson & Johnson was recently required to pay over $570 million in a “landmark decision” out of Oklahoma, as reported by CNN. The judge found that the drug manufacturer engaged in “false and misleading marketing of both their drugs and opioids generally.
The opioid crisis began in the 1990s when pharmaceutical companies started to manufacture a new opioid-based painkiller that could be used to treat chronic pain and was allegedly safe for use and less addictive than its predecessors.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the increased prescription of natural and semi-synthetic opioids in the 1990s, such as OxyContin and Vicodin, led to the first wave of the modern opioid epidemic.
The second wave began in 2010 with a rapid hike in the number of people dying from heroin overdoses. It reached its third and current peak only a few years later with the introduction of deadly synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimates that over 760,000 Americans have died from a drug overdose since 1999. Data suggests that in 2018 two out of three of those overdoses involved an opioid.
Notable facts about the opioid epidemic include:
Opioids are generally grouped into three categories: natural, synthetic, and semi-synthetic chemicals that can help to provide pain relief. Opioids can be prescription drugs or illegal substances such as heroin.
Forms of natural opioids, also referred to as opiates:
Common types of semi-synthetic opioids:
Leading synthetic opioids:
Despite the raging epidemic, opioid dispensing across the United States continues to be high. While the CDC shows that the national opioid dispensing rate declined in recent years, it is still a rate of 46.7 prescriptions per 100 persons or more than 153 million opioid prescriptions in a single year (2019).
Shockingly, in 5% of counties in the country, there were enough opioid prescriptions dispensed for every person to have one. The opioid crisis has affected every sector of the population, regardless of gender, sex, race, or wealth.
However, some states have experienced higher rates of deaths related to drug overdoses, including West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
The opioid crisis began in the 1990s when pharmaceutical companies started to manufacture a new opioid-based painkiller that could be used to treat chronic pain and was allegedly safe for use and less addictive than its predecessors.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the increased prescription of natural and semi-synthetic opioids in the 1990s, such as OxyContin and Vicodin, led to the first wave of the modern opioid epidemic.
The second wave began in 2010 with a rapid hike in the number of people dying from heroin overdoses. It reached its third and current peak only a few years later with the introduction of deadly synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.
