Filed 11/12/2019 12:00 AM Barbara Sucsy District Clerk Lubbock County, Texas 2019537688 MS CAUSE NO. __________________ COUNTY OF LUBBOCK § IN THE DISTRICT COURT § Plaintiff, § § vs. § § ________ JUDICIAL DISTRICT TEVA PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRIES, § LTD.; § TEVA PHARMACEUTICALS USA, INC.; § CEPHALON, INC.; § ALLERGAN PLC f/k/a ACTAVIS PLC; § ALLERGAN FINANCE, LLC f/k/a § LUBBOCK COUNTY, TEXAS ACTAVIS, INC. f/k/a WATSON § PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.; § ALLERGAN SALES, LLC; § ALLERGAN USA INC.; § WATSON LABORATORIES, INC.; § ACTAVIS LLC; § ACTAVIS PHARMA INC. f/k/a WATSON § PHARMA, INC.; § ACTAVIS LABORATORIES UT, INC. f/k/a § WATSON LABORATORIES, INC.; § JANSSEN PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. f/k/a § ORTHO-MCNEIL-JANSSEN § PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. f/k/a JANSSEN § PHARMACEUTICA, INC.; § JOHNSON & JOHNSON; § NORAMCO, INC.; § ASSERTIO THERAPEUTICS, INC. f/k/a § DEPOMED, INC.; § ENDO HEALTH SOLUTIONS INC.; § ENDO PHARMACEUTICALS INC.; § PAR PHARMACEUTICAL, INC.; § PAR PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES, § INC.; § ABBVIE INC.; § KNOLL PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY; § MALLINCKRODT PLC; § MALLINCKRODT LLC; § SPECGX LLC; § MYLAN INC.; § MYLAN INSTITUTIONAL INC.; § MYLAN PHARMACEUTICALS INC.; § MYLAN SPECIALTY L.P.; § LUBBOCK COUNTY’S ORIGINAL PETITION AND REQUESTS FOR DISCLOSURE Page 1 of 151 MYLAN BERTEK PHARMACEUTICALS § INC.; § MISSION PHARMACAL COMPANY; § MCKESSON CORPORATION; § MCKESSON MEDICAL-SURGICAL INC.; § CARDINAL HEALTH, INC.; § CARDINAL HEALTH 110, LLC; § AMERISOURCEBERGEN CORPORATION; § AMERISOURCEBERGEN DRUG § CORPORATION; § ADVANCED PHARMA, INC. d/b/a § AVELLA OF HOUSTON; § and, § DOES 1 – 99, INCLUSIVE, § § Defendants. § LUBBOCK COUNTY’S ORIGINAL PETITION AND REQUESTS FOR DISCLOSURE Plaintiff, the County of Lubbock, by and through the undersigned attorneys (hereinafter “Lubbock County” or “County”), files this Original Petition and Requests for Disclosure against Defendants Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, LTD., Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., Cephalon, Inc., Allergan PLC f/k/a Actavis PLC, Allergan Finance, LLC f/k/a Actavis, Inc. f/k/a Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Allergan Sales, LLC, Allergan USA Inc., Watson Laboratories, Inc., Actavis LLC, Actavis Pharma Inc. f/k/a Watson Pharma, Inc., Actavis Laboratories UT, Inc. f/k/a Watson Laboratories, Inc., Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. f/k/a Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. f/k/a Janssen Pharmaceutica, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Noramco, Inc., Assertio Therapeutics, Inc. f/k/a Depomed, Inc., Endo Health Solutions Inc., Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Par Pharmaceutical, Inc., Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc., AbbVie Inc., Knoll Pharmaceutical Company, Mallinckrodt PLC, Mallinckrodt LLC, SpecGx LLC, Mylan Inc., Mylan Institutional Inc., Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc., Mylan Specialty L.P., Mylan Bertek Pharmaceuticals Inc., Mission Pharmacal Company, McKesson Corporation, McKesson Medical-Surgical Inc., Cardinal Health, Inc., Cardinal Health 110, LLC, AmerisourceBergen Corporation, LUBBOCK COUNTY’S ORIGINAL PETITION AND REQUESTS FOR DISCLOSURE Page 2 of 151 AmerisourceBergen Drug Corporation, Advanced Pharma, Inc. d/b/a Avella of Houston, and, DOES 1 – 99, inclusive (hereinafter collectively “Defendants”), and respectfully shows the Court as follows: LUBBOCK COUNTY’S ORIGINAL PETITION AND REQUESTS FOR DISCLOSURE Page 3 of 151 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................8 II. RULE 47 STATEMENT OF MONETARY RELIEF SOUGHT ................................15 III. DISCOVERY CONTROL PLAN ..................................................................................15 IV. PARTIES ..........................................................................................................................15 A. Manufacturer Defendants .............................................................................................16 Teva ........................................................................................................................16 Actavis ....................................................................................................................19 J&J .........................................................................................................................22 Depomed ................................................................................................................26 Endo .......................................................................................................................27 AbbVie ....................................................................................................................29 Mallinckrodt ...........................................................................................................31 Mylan .....................................................................................................................33 Mission Pharmacal Company ................................................................................36 B. Distributor Defendants .................................................................................................37 McKesson ...............................................................................................................37 Cardinal .................................................................................................................39 AmerisourceBergen ................................................................................................41 Advanced Pharma ..................................................................................................42 V. JURISDICTION & VENUE ...........................................................................................43 VI. THIS LAWSUIT IS BROUGHT ONLY UNDER TEXAS LAW ...............................44 VII. CONDITIONS PRECEDENT ........................................................................................45 VIII. FACTUAL BACKGROUND ..........................................................................................46 A. The Nationwide Opioid Epidemic ...............................................................................46 LUBBOCK COUNTY’S ORIGINAL PETITION AND REQUESTS FOR DISCLOSURE Page 4 of 151 B. Texas’ Growing Opioid Crisis .....................................................................................47 C. The Opioid Epidemic in Lubbock County ...................................................................50 1. Opioid Prescribing Rates in Lubbock County Have Exceeded State and National Rates for More than a Decade. ................................................................51 2. Lubbock County Residents Report an Increasing Number of Life- Threatening Opioid Exposures. .............................................................................53 3. Lubbock County’s Budget is Strained by Skyrocketing Medical Treatment Costs. ....................................................................................................54 4. Lubbock County’s Criminal Justice System Spends its Limited Resources Fighting a Spiraling Epidemic. .............................................................55 D. Defendants’ Unlawful, False and Deceptive Marketing Practices ..............................56 1. Defendants Aggressively and Unethically Engaged in Direct Marketing of their Branded Opioid Products. .........................................................................57 2. Defendants Used Superficially Independent Third Parties to Engage in False and Deceptive Unbranded Marketing of Prescription Opioids. ...................64 3. Defendants Deployed “Key Opinion Leaders” to Perpetuate Widespread Acceptance of Opioids for the Treatment of Chronic Pain. ..............65 Dr. Russell Portenoy ..................................................................................68 Dr. Lynn Webster .......................................................................................71 Dr. Perry Fine ............................................................................................72 Dr. Scott Fishman ......................................................................................73 4. Defendants Funded and Controlled Industry “Front Groups” to Legitimize their False and Deceptive Messages. ...................................................75 American Pain Foundation ........................................................................76 American Academy of Pain Medicine ........................................................77 5. Defendants Infiltrated Accrediting Institutions to Create a New Standard of Care for the Treatment of Pain and Prescribing of Opioid Drugs ......................................................................................................................80 6. Defendants Targeted Vulnerable Patient Populations. ..........................................83 LUBBOCK COUNTY’S ORIGINAL PETITION AND REQUESTS FOR DISCLOSURE Page 5 of 151 E. Defendants Misrepresented the Safety and Effectiveness of Opioid Drugs ................84 1. Defendants Repeatedly Misrepresented the Risks, Benefits and Superiority of Prescription Opioids for Chronic Pain. ...........................................84 2. Defendants Downplayed and Trivialized the Risks of Long-Term Opioid Use. ............................................................................................................85 3. Defendants Promoted the Term “Pseudoaddiction” and Pushed Prescribers to Treat Addiction with More Opioids. ...............................................93