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Arkansas Attorney General Reaches Settlement In Prescription Drugs Case

RUTLEDGE REACHES SETTLEMENT WITH BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM PHARMACEUTICALS

Says, ‘Arkansans should be able to trust that the medications they are being prescribed will help cure their ailments’

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge has reached a settlement, along with attorneys general from all other states and the District of Columbia, with Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (BIPI). The settlement ends a multistate investigation into BIPI’s alleged off-label marketing, deceptive and misleading representations made in its promotion of four of its prescription drugs: Micardis®, Aggrenox®, Atrovent®, and Combivent®. 

“Arkansans should be able to trust that the medications they are being prescribed will help cure their ailments,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “But the deceptive advertising practices of Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals calls those prescriptions into question and puts Arkansans at risk of taking medications that will not help them.”

Arkansas will receive $175,298.58 of the $13.5 million settlement, which will be deposited into the Consumer Education and Enforcement Fund. The settlement resolves allegations that BIPI engaged in a course of trade or commerce that constitutes unfair, deceptive, or misleading practices, by making misrepresentations about the above-mentioned prescription drugs and by representing that the prescription drugs had sponsorship, approval, characteristics, ingredients, uses, benefits, quantities, or qualities that they did not have. Specifically, the States allege BIPI: (1) misrepresented that its antiplatelet drug, Aggrenox®, was effective for many conditions “below the neck,” such as heart attacks and congestive heart failure, and that it was superior to Plavix® without evidence to substantiate that claim; (2) misrepresented that Micardis® protected patients from early morning strokes and heart attacks and treated metabolic syndrome; (3) misrepresented that Combivent® could be used as a first-line treatment for bronchospasms associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); and (4) falsely stated that Atrovent® and Combivent® could be used at doses that exceeded the maximum dosage recommendation in the product labeling and that they were essential for treatment of COPD.

The Consent Judgment requires BIPI to ensure that its marketing and promotional practices do not unlawfully promote these prescription drug products. Specifically, BIPI will:

Limit product sampling of the four drugs to health care providers whose clinical practice is consistent with the product labeling;

Refrain from offering financial incentives for sales that may indicate off-label use of any of the four drugs;

Ensure clinically relevant information is provided in an unbiased manner that is distinct from promotional materials; and

Provide that requests for off-label information regarding any of the four drugs are referred to BIPI’s Medical Division.

Kansas and Pennsylvania led the Executive Committee, which also includes Attorneys General from Arizona, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, Tennessee and Texas.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia are participating in the settlement.

Mayflower Police Receive ‘Difference Maker’ Award & $1,000 For Purchase of Life-Saving Naloxone

By: STEPHANIE SHARP (KARK Ch.4 News)

MAYFLOWER, Ark. – The opioid crisis is a growing issues across the country and right here in Arkansas.

More and more law enforcement agencies are now carrying Narcan.

It blocks the effect of the drug when someone overdoses. However, getting Narcan can be expensive, especially for small departments.

The Mayflower Police Department is the recipient of the December Difference Maker Award. This will allow them to carry the life saving tool.

Mayflower Police Lieutenant Wesley Tyra patrols the streets of the community.

Lt. Wesley Tyra says they may not be big in size, but they stay very busy.

“We’re a small community, small department and we have limited resources,” Lt. Wesley Tyra said.

Because of those limited resources, they haven’t been able to get the tool Narcan. Narcan is a drug that is known to stop the effects of an overdose, and they have a big need for it.

“As we all know, the opioid crisis is a big problem in Arkansas and across the country and it’s continuing to grow,” says Chief Robert Alcon.

Because of how the department protect the Mayflower Community, they’ve been chosen to receive the Difference Maker Award.

“We want to give you a $1,000 check from Rainwater, Holt, & Sexton for the purpose of buying Narcan units for all of your officers at the Mayflower Police Department,” says Mike Rainwater.

“We’ll be able to use this on a regular basis, probably,” says Lt. Wesley Tyra.

The Arkansas Drug Director says opioid use is a major issue in the state and it will take multiple players to provide it to all agencies.

“From private sector, to foundation, to federal grants to get a majority of first responders on board with carrying Naloxone,” says Arkansas Drug Director Kirk Lane.

“We can get our officers protected so they can go in and use those Narcan units to save the lives of our neighbors,” says Mike Rainwater.

This is just one department now equipped with a tool. It may be small like the department, but it will make a big impact.

This can also help officers that come in contact with the dangerous drug.

If you would like to help provide Narcan to a law enforcement agency in Arkansas, contact Kirk Lane, the Arkansas Drug Director.