Ad agency Publicis Health will pay around $343 million to settle a lawsuit over its marketing of opioid drugs. The company will also stop any current work related to opioid substances and will not accept such projects in the future.
Previously, the company worked on projects with Purdue Pharma, McKesson, Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceuticals.
The lawsuit, which involved all 50 state attorneys general, the District of Columbia and other U.S. territories, accused the agency of deceptive marketing practices and contributing to the opioid crisis that led to 2,504 deaths between Jan 1, 2017, and Oct. 31, 2023, according to DC’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Publicis Groupe said the settlement “is in no way an admission of wrongdoing or liability,” adding, “We will, if need be, defend ourselves against any litigation that this agreement does not resolve.”
