PBC set to sue drug firms over role in opioid crisis

opioid epidemic has strained emergency services, jails and safety-net treatment centers, producing millions of dollars in extra costs for taxpayers.

Now, Palm Beach County, a destination for people recovering from addiction, wants its day in court.

County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to move forward with a lawsuit accusing drug companies of misleading patients about the dangers of prescription pain medicine.

The county will now solicit proposals from law firms. So far, 16 firms have expressed interest.

County Mayor Melissa McKinlay said taxpayers shouldn’t be left to shoulder the burden of solving a probThe lem fueled by drug companies. Nearly 600 people died of overdoses last year in Palm Beach County, according to the medical examiner’s office.

“The pharmaceutical industry was deceptive in its marketing practices about the risk of addiction,” McKinlay said.

Before a crackdown seven years ago, Florida was known as the nation’s pill mill capital, where doctors handed out oxycodone and other powerful painkillers like candy at storefront clinics. In 2010, 98 of the top 100 opioid-prescribing physicians were in Florida, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Now, medical examiners are seeing unprecedented overdose deaths caused by heroin and ultra-potent synthetic versions of the drug.

Palm Beach County Fire