AG Aaron M. Frey

Attorney General Aaron Frey announced late last week a $350 million national settlement with Publicis Health to resolve investigations into the global marketing and communications firm’s role in the prescription opoid crisis.  Maine will receive over $1.8  million from a settlement to help address the opioid crisis.

Filings describe how Publicis work contributed to the crisis by helping Purdue Pharma and other opioid manufacturers market and sell opioids.  Court documents detail how Publicis acted as Purdue’s agency of record for all its branded opioid drugs, including Oxycontin, even developing sales tactics that relied on following data from recordings of personal health-related in-office communications between patients and providers.  The company was also instrumental in Purdue’s decision to market OxyContin to providers on patient’s electonic health records.

“Publicis worked to ensure that Purdue’s products ended up in more hands, addiciting more of our citizens,” said Attorney General Frey.  “It profited off the opioid crisis we now face and today we are holding them accountable to pay for these harms.”

Colorado led the multistate group during the investigation.