Austin, TX personal injury attorney Scott Hendler talks about some of the drugs that have been the subject of pharmaceutical lawsuits. He explains that one of the pharmaceutical drugs receiving intense media attention recently is opioids. Opioids are painkillers derived from opium, originally designed for extreme pain, such as that experienced by terminal cancer patients. However, pharmaceutical manufacturers quickly recognized a broader market and began marketing these drugs to pregnant women with lower back pain, young mothers, and people recovering from surgeries like knee operations. He recalls his own knee surgery, when he tried an opioid once, felt odd, and stopped—but many who didn’t stop became addicted quickly, despite the manufacturers’ repeated claims that the drugs were not addictive.

He highlights Purdue Pharma, which manufactured OxyContin, claiming its time-release formulation would prevent addiction—a claim they knew was false. Companies like Johnson & Johnson, along with distributors such as McKesson and Cardinal, contributed to the problem by flooding communities with far more pills than could ever be legitimately needed. Some doctors ran “pill mills,” generating hundreds of thousands, even millions, of dollars by overprescribing these drugs, which were then reimbursed through insurance and healthcare systems, implicating multiple layers of the industry.

Because of these consequences, Travis County hired him to represent them in national opioid litigation, addressing the financial burdens incurred when paramedics respond to overdoses, administer Narcan, and deal with related public health costs—millions of dollars for the county, and the same for thousands of municipalities across the country. The litigation has produced significant impact, with thousands of cases pending in state and federal courts. Recently, a $27 billion settlement was agreed in principle with Johnson & Johnson, though whether it fully addresses the problem remains uncertain. Texas also negotiated a $270 million settlement with some manufacturers, with distributors expected to settle separately. The hope is that these funds will help treat addiction and mitigate its cascading effects, which often lead to homelessness, crime, domestic violence, and systemic problems in communities that must be addressed.