Suboxone lawsuits claim that this drug approved to treat opioid disorder can cause serious dental problems such as tooth decay, oral infections, cavities and tooth loss. Lawsuits claim manufacturer Indivior failed to properly warn about the risks and plaintiffs are seeking compensation.
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Latest Suboxone Lawsuit Updates
As of April 2024, there were 44 Suboxone tooth decay lawsuits pending in multidistrict litigation within the Northern District of Ohio. There have not been any court-approved settlements announced publicly for Suboxone cases related to dental problems, nor have any trials been scheduled. Additionally, there is a pending antitrust MDL related to Suboxone.
Timeline of Suboxone Lawsuits
February 2024:
The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation issued an order to consolidate 15 Suboxone tooth decay claims into an MDL in the Northern District of Ohio.
January 2024:
The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation scheduled a hearing on Jan. 25, 2024, to consider consolidating 15 lawsuits related to Suboxone tooth decay claims.
December 2023:
The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation announced it will consider consolidating 15 Suboxone lawsuits into MDL-3092 during its January 2024 hearing.
November 2023:
Plaintiffs' lawyers urged the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation to centralize all federal Suboxone lawsuits into multidistrict litigation. Meanwhile, 14 new Suboxone tooth decay lawsuits were filed against Indivior in federal courts, with the Northern District of Ohio hosting the highest number of pending cases.
October 2023:
Indivior agreed to pay $385 million to settle Suboxone lawsuits drug wholesalers filed.
September 2023:
David Sorensen filed a Suboxone tooth decay lawsuit against Indivior, Reckitt Benckiser and other defendants after he used the drug and developed permanent damage to his teeth and required substantial dental work.
August 2023:
Indivior reached a Suboxone settlement for $30 million with health care plans that had brought a federal antitrust lawsuit against the company.
April 2023:
The Federal Trade Commission announced it had paid about $369,000 to consumers who joined Suboxone class-action lawsuits but missed the original deadline.
January 2022:
FDA publicly announced the agency received reports that medicines containing buprenorphine that dissolve in the mouth, such as Suboxone, can cause dental problems. Adding a new warning to the drug’s prescribing information and patient medication guide was required.
People are filing Suboxone tooth decay lawsuits because they developed serious dental problems after using Suboxone. Lawsuits claim Indivior knew or should have known the risks but failed to warn medical providers and consumers.
“As warned by the FDA on Jan. 12, 2022, serious dental issues are being reported following use of the sublingual Suboxone delivery system, a strip that contains buprenorphine and dissolves in the mouth. This Suboxone film looks and dissolves much like breath freshening strips you would buy at a gas station or a grocery store,” mass tort and product liability attorney Trent B. Miracle told Drugwatch.
“Serious dental issues are being reported following use of the sublingual Suboxone delivery system, a strip that contains buprenorphine and dissolves in the mouth.”
King’s doctor prescribed him Suboxone to treat opioid use disorder. The lawsuit claimed King and his physician were never warned and didn’t know that Suboxone posed a serious risk of dental erosion and decay. The lawsuit said the defendants knew or should have known the acidity of buprenorphine could cause harmful damage to teeth.
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Do I Qualify to File a Suboxone Lawsuit?
If you have had dental problems following the use of prescription Suboxone film, you may qualify to file a Suboxone tooth decay lawsuit. Only a licensed Suboxone lawyer can tell you if you qualify to join a Suboxone lawsuit.
Injuries In Suboxone Tooth Decay Lawsuits
Cavities
Cracked teeth
Crown or crown replacement
Infections
Loss of tooth enamel
Root canal
Tooth decay
Tooth loss and extraction
“People should contact a lawyer if they have noticed any serious dental issues following use of Suboxone sublingual strips. These dental problems range from cavities to tooth decay to broken or lost teeth,” Miracle told Drugwatch.
How To Qualify
Have been prescribed Suboxone opioid addiction or pain management
Used prescription Suboxone for at least six months before suffering injuries
Have one or more of the following injuries: Cavities, tooth loss, tooth fractures, tooth decay, tongue injuries and gum injuries
Have had routine dental care prior to Suboxone usage
Contact a law firm right away to avoid losing your right to file a claim. If your diagnosis was more than 10 years ago, you must be able to get your own dental records.
A lawyer can help you gather the correct evidence of tooth decay or other injuries for your Suboxone case. Your attorney will also file your lawsuit and then negotiate a Suboxone settlement or prepare your case for jury trial.
“As with any case, people should carefully research who they hire to represent them,” Miracle said. “In complex cases such as this, it is especially important to retain counsel with resources and years of experience litigating against multinational pharmaceutical companies.”
Like with most product liability injury claims, lawyers offer free case evaluations for Suboxone teeth lawsuits. Law firms don’t collect their fees unless they recover a settlement or jury verdict on your behalf.
Suboxone Lawsuit Q&A with Attorney Trent B. Miracle
Trent B. MiracleMass Tort and Product Liability Attorney
Mass tort and product liability attorney Trent B. Miracle, leader of the mass torts division at award-winning law firm Flint Cooper, answered three important questions about what you should know if you are thinking of filing a Suboxone lawsuit.
What is the most important thing to know about Suboxone lawsuits?
Time is of the essence if you think you have a claim.
How does the statute of limitations in certain states affect Suboxone claims?
The statute of limitations likely runs in June 2024 for states with a two-year SOL.
What evidence should people have to properly support their Suboxone case?
To be able to evaluate a potential claim, we need to evaluate your pharmaceutical and dental records.
Suboxone Settlements and Deceptive Marketing Claims
Prior to people filing Suboxone lawsuits for dental problems, Indivior and Reckitt Benckiser faced an antitrust Suboxone class-action lawsuit that claimed limited competition caused consumers to overpay for the drug. In 2019 and 2020, the FTC reached settlements totaling $60 million.
Consumers received the first payments in May 2021 and the remaining class members received payments in April 2023.
FTC sent about 51,875 class-action settlement payments to consumers. These people allegedly overpaid for Suboxone because of a “deceptive scheme by Reckitt Benckiser Group and Indivior, Inc. to thwart lower-proved generic competition with the branded drug Suboxone.”
In deceptive marketing claims unrelated to the tooth damage lawsuits, Indivior pleaded guilty to felony charges associated with Suboxone deceptive marketing and agreed to pay $600 million to resolve criminal and civil liability in July 2019. Allegedly, the company deceived doctors and health plans, claiming Suboxone was safer and less susceptible to abuse than similar drugs.
Indivior “admitted to an aspect of the scheme alleged in the indictment. Specifically, Indivior Solutions admitted that, in October 2012, it sought to convince MassHealth to expand Medicaid coverage of Suboxone Film in Massachusetts and sent MassHealth false data indicating that Suboxone Film had the lowest rate of accidental pediatric exposure (i.e., children taking medication by accident) of all buprenorphine drugs in Massachusetts, when in fact, it did not,” according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The DOJ also reached a $1.4 billion resolution with Reckitt Benckiser, Indivior’s former parent company. Then in October 2019, Reckitt Benckiser reached a $700 million settlement deal with six states for improper marketing.
In October 2023, Indivior settled an antitrust case for $385 million. The settlement resolved claims from direct purchasers of the drug claiming the drug maker illegally tried to monopolize opioid addiction treatment.
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“Serious dental issues are being reported following use of the sublingual Suboxone delivery system, a strip that contains buprenorphine and dissolves in the mouth.”
