Tennessee Attorneys Reveal Call Logs Of OxyContin Sales Reps In Case Against Purdue Pharma

Purdue Pharma's sales reps in Tennessee were pushing OxyContin even harder as the high-powered opioid came under more legal scrutiny in recent years. That's among hundreds of claims made by the Tennessee Attorney General in a lawsuit filed in May and made public Thursday.

Purdue withdrew its effort to keep the litigation under seal, citing trade secrets. That prompted the Tennessee AG to publish the suit online. The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government had also intervened to advocate for opening the process.

"We are pleased Purdue Pharma decided to withdraw its motion for a protective order, and the State’s complaint is now available to the public," Attorney General Herbert Slatery said in a statement. "We believe the public has the right to know what is going on in this important lawsuit."

Purdue's 87 sales reps in the state made 300,000 calls to Tennessee prescribers over the last decade, and the pace didn't peak until 2016 — well after Purdue's tactics were under investigation.

Read more: http://nashvillepublicradio.org/post/tennessee-attorneys-reveal-call-logs-oxycontin-sales-reps-case-against-purdue-pharma