Products Liability
Our law firm is handling Suboxone lawsuits. Our lawyers are bringing these tooth decay lawsuits because the defendants knew their drug was causing severe tooth decay and other dental injuries and told no one.
Yes, they finally put a warning on in 2022. But every Suboxone lawsuit that is being filed is for victims of tooth decay, broken teeth, and other dental injuries that flow from Suboxone, who used the product before 2022 and were blindsided with this risk for no good reason.
Potential dental issues with Suboxone include:
- Tooth decay
- Tooth loss and extraction
- Infections
- Cracked teeth
- Cavities
- Root canal
- Dental caries (loss of enamel, dentine, etc.)
- Crown or crown replacement
If you are a victim, you may be eligible for compensation through a Suboxone lawsuit payout. Our lawyers believe that the defendants in these cases will be forced to pay reasonable settlement amounts to patients who used this product and suffered severe dental injuries.
Our Suboxone lawyers are actively investigating claims against the drug manufacturers for their failure to provide adequate warnings about the risks of severe tooth decay and other dental problems associated with Suboxone.
Find out if you qualify for a Suboxone lawsuit payout by contacting our law firm online to schedule a case review. You can also reach out to our product liability attorneys at any time by calling 800-553-8082 or reach out to us online.
There are no fees or expenses involved – ever – unless we successfully secure a settlement amount or jury payout for you.
Suboxone Lawsuit Updates:
November 3, 2023: 14 new Suboxone product liability lawsuits have been filed in federal courts against the manufacturer, Indivior, in just the last 2 weeks. 8 of them were filed in the Northern District of Ohio, which has the most pending Suboxone cases of any district.
October 30, 2023: The manufacturer of Suboxone, Indivior, will be fighting a 2 front litigation battle. While the number of tooth decay suboxone lawsuits continue to grow, Indivior will also be defending a false claims act lawsuit accusing the company of an illegal kickback scheme. Last week, a federal judge rejected Indivior’s motion to dismiss that case and allowed it to move forward.
October 24, 2023: The maker of Suboxone, Indivior, has now agreed to pay another $385 million to settle an antitrust lawsuit accusing the company of illegally suppressing generic competition. The lawsuits claim that Indivior introduced the dissolving film tab version of Suboxone just as its patent on the original pill version was about to expire for the sole purpose of blocking competition from generic Suboxone tablets. Indivior already paid $900 million to settle a similar lawsuit brought by the states and the federal government.
October 16, 2023: A man from Geauga County, Ohio became the latest plaintiff to file a Suboxone tooth decay lawsuit in federal court King v. Indivior, Inc, et al. 1:23-cv-01924 (N.D. Ohio). According to the Complaint, the plaintiff became addicted to opioids after being prescribed them by his doctor. The plaintiff was eventually prescribed Suboxone to treat his addiction. After just 16 months on Suboxone, the plaintiff began to suffer severe tooth decay and eventually had to have several teeth extracted permanently. The Complaint alleges that neither the plaintiff or his doctor were ever aware that Suboxone caused tooth decay.
Suboxone
Suboxone is a medication primarily used in the treatment of opioid addiction and it has been as assistance to doctors trying to get patients off opioids.
Suboxone combines two active ingredients: buprenorphine and naloxone. Buprenorphine is a partial opioid agonist, which means it activates the same receptors in the brain as opioids but to a lesser degree, reducing withdrawal symptoms and cravings while preventing the intense high associated with full opioid agonists like heroin or prescription painkillers.
Naloxone, on the other hand, is an opioid antagonist that reverses the effects of opioids and can precipitate withdrawal symptoms if misused. Suboxone comes in the form of sublingual films or tablets, and it’s typically administered as part of a comprehensive treatment program that includes counseling and therapy.
While Suboxone has admittedly had some success in helping individuals manage opioid addiction and transition towards a drug-free life, it’s not without its risks and side effects. Common side effects may include nausea, headache, sweating, constipation, and sleep disturbances. These side effects are generally manageable and are outweighed by the benefits of reducing opioid dependence. You can help manage them because… the companies that make and distribute the drug warn about these risks. So doctors and patients know of the risks and can manage them.
Suboxone Lawsuits
Our law firm is handling Suboxone lawsuits. Our lawyers are bringing these tooth decay lawsuits because the defendants knew their drug was causing severe tooth decay and dental injuries and told no one.
Yes, they finally put a warning on in 2022. But every Suboxone lawsuit that is being filed is for victims of tooth decay, broken teeth, and other dental injuries that flow from Suboxone, who used the product before 2022 who were blindsided with this risk for no good reason.
If you are a victim, you may be eligible for compensation through a Suboxone lawsuit payout. Our lawyers believe that the defendants in these cases will be forced to pay reasonable settlement amounts to patients who used this product and suffered severe dental injuries.
Again, our Suboxone lawyers are actively investigating claims against the drug manufacturers for their failure to provide adequate warnings about the risks of severe tooth decay and other dental problems associated with Suboxone.
There are no fees or expenses involved – ever – unless we successfully secure a settlement amount or jury payout fo you.
The Risk of Dental Injuries
Studies have indicated that Suboxone sublingual films, which dissolve under the tongue, may lead to tooth decay and other dental problems due to their acidic nature. Extended exposure to this acidic medication can weaken tooth enamel and contribute to dental issues such as cavities, gum disease, and even tooth loss. These dental problems can be painful and may necessitate corrective dental procedures like fillings, extractions, or implants.
If you started taking Suboxone in 2023, you likely know about this risk due to discussions with your doctor or reading the package insert. To manage this risk, patients can take extra care of their teeth through regular brushing, flossing, and using fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash to strengthen tooth enamel. Dietary adjustments, like reducing sugary food and beverage consumption while ensuring a calcium and vitamin D-rich diet, can also help maintain strong teeth.
However, if you used the product before the 2022 warning, you probably had no knowledge of this risk. If you suffered severe tooth decay or other dental injuries and were unaware of the risk, you are an ideal candidate for a Suboxone lawsuit.
The Core of Every Suboxone Lawsuit – Failure to Warn
If you are taking Suboxone in 2023, you likely know of this risk because you discussed it with your doctor or read it on the package insert. What can they do? They can be extra careful with their teeth. Patients could have paid extra attention to their oral hygiene practices. This includes regular brushing and flossing to maintain healthy teeth and gums. Using fluoride toothpaste and mouthwash can also help strengthen tooth enamel.
Patients can also adjust their dietary habits. This could involve reducing the consumption of sugary foods and beverages, which can contribute to tooth decay. A diet rich in calcium and vitamin D can help maintain strong teeth.
Patients can also, not for nothing, choose another drug than Suboxone to deal with withdrawal.
No Warning Before 2022
But if you took the product before there was a warning in 2022, you likely did not know of this risk. If you did not know of the risk and you suffered severe tooth decay or other dental injuries, you are a prime candidate for a Suboxone lawsuit.
The Study That Broke the Camel’s Back
A 2022 study confirmed what Suboxone lawyers had already known – Suboxone causes dental injuries. Researchers looked at three groups of people who used different medications: sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone, transdermal buprenorphine, and oral naltrexone. They found that the group using sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone had a higher risk of dental problems compared to the other two groups.
Specifically, they found that the group using sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone had more dental issues like cavities and tooth loss. The risk of dental problems was 1.42 times higher compared to those using transdermal buprenorphine and 1.67 times higher compared to those using oral naltrexone.
Why? Researchers think that the acidic nature of sublingual buprenorphine/naloxone might be causing these dental problems. People taking this medication are instructed to hold it under their tongue for a few minutes, which could expose their teeth to acid for longer periods.
What our Suboxone lawyers have been able to gather from all of this is that Suboxone sublingual films are notably acidic. We have known forever that acidity can contribute to tooth decay. When these films dissolve under the tongue, they introduce acidity to the mouth, weakening tooth enamel—the protective outer layer of teeth. As enamel erodes, the inner layer, dentin, becomes more exposed and vulnerable to decay.
Who Qualifies for a Suboxone Lawsuit?
Victims who used these sublingual films and developed dental problems such as severe tooth decay or loss, tooth extractions, broken teeth, and jaw bone injuries are potential plaintiffs. Our lawyers expect if there is a Suboxone class action lawsuit and there is a settlement, there will be higher settlement amounts if you require dental implants, need oral surgeries, or need some other escalated dental treatment.
Primary Defendants in Suboxone Lawsuits
Indivior, Inc., and Aquestive Therapeutics Inc. are the pharmaceutical companies that developed Suboxone and Indivor is the primary manufacturer of the drug. Both of these companies are named as primary defendants in the Suboxone lawsuits. Neither of these are household pharmaceutical names like Pfizer. That is because these are not your typical “big pharma” companies. Rather, they are both specialty or “boutique” pharmaceutical companies that focus on a specific segment of the drug industry.
Indivior’s entire business is specifically focused on developing and manufacturing buprenorphine-based drugs that are utilized in the treatment of opioid dependency. Until fairly recently, Indivior was a division of Reckitt Benckiser (Reckitt), a larger pharma company based in the United Kingdom. When the market for opioid dependency drugs started to explode about eight years ago, Reckitt cashed in on the potential profitability and spun off Indivior as a new publicly traded company. Reckitt continues to own a significant percentage of shares in Indivor and is typically named as a defendant in the Suboxone lawsuits.
Although all of the various companies related to Suboxone are generally named in these lawsuits, Indivior will assume primary liability. One thing that stands out about Indivor is that it already has a “rap sheet” with U.S. authorities. The DOJ recently indicted the Company for engaging in an illegal scheme to funnel patients to specific doctors who were prescribing Suboxone or other Indivor drugs. This matter was eventually resolved when Indivor agreed to pay $102 million in damages to 42 different states.
Payout Value of Suboxone Lawsuits
Our mass tort attorneys estimate that successful Suboxone lawsuits involving tooth decay could have a settlement payout value range of around $55,000 to $157,000.
Trial value is a different story. The estimated jury payout for a Suboxone lawsuit that goes to trial could be in the millions. In a case like this, what could inflate jury awards is the possibility of punitive damages, and it sounds like, based on what Suboxone lawyers already know before we even get into pretrial discovery, there is fertile ground for punitive damages in these cases.
Even if punitive damages are not awarded, the trial value of these cases would be much higher than their settlement value. What would be a reasonable estimate of the average jury verdict for a Suboxone compensation claim even without punitive damages? That question takes the word speculative to a whole new level. But our attorneys think the potential jury payouts for a Suboxone lawsuit would be $500,000 to $ 1 million. A case with a sympathetic plaintiff and good facts could fetch an even larger Suboxone payout.
All of this – jury predictions and settlement payout estimates – are very speculative at this point. The Suboxone tooth decay lawsuits are still very new. We have not even gotten through the discovery phase in any of the cases, so there are many variables that could potentially impact the viability of these cases. Our settlement compensation payout estimates are based on the assumption that these cases will be viable and successful. It is all very new, but our Suboxone lawyers have high hopes for these lawsuits.
Suboxone Class Action Lawsuit
Right now, the Suboxone tooth decay lawsuits have not yet been consolidated into a class action lawsuit or MDL. However, a lot of momentum is building, and a growing number of Suboxone lawsuits are being filed in courts across the country. Moreover, the size of the potential plaintiff field for this litigation is very large. Millions of people have become hooked on opioids over the last few decades, and all of these individuals could end up using Suboxone at some point. The percentage of individuals who suffer tooth decay when they use suboxone is very high.
Contact Us About a Suboxone Tooth Decay Lawsuit
Our national mass tort lawyers are looking for Suboxone cases across the country. Call us today at 800-553-8082 or contact us online for a free consultation.