OFFICE OF THE

BERKS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY

John T. Adams 633 COURT STREET Dennis J. Skayhan
District Attorney READING, PENNSYLVANIA 19601-4317 First Assistant District Attorney
Michael J. Gombar TELEPHONE: 610-478-6000 Jonathan H. Kurland
Chief County Detective FAX: 610-478-6002 Chief Deputy District Attorney
www.co.berks.pa.us/dept/da

May 11, 2017

Attorney General Josh Shapiro

Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
16th Floor, Strawberry Square
Harrisburg, PA 17120

Attorney General Shapiro:

In recent years it has become apparent to leaders here in Berks County and across the nation that
we are facing a drug epidemic like never seen before.

There has always been drug addiction and a need for communities to respond but this more
recent opioid and heroine epidemic has a more sinister history.

While there was clearly an upswing in drug use in the 60s, it is nothing like the increase weve
experienced since the mid to late 90s forward.

While there may be a number of causes, one remains at the top of the list. It is no coincidence
that this time frame matches perfectly with the rise of opiate pain medication. Consider this
excerpt from a May 6, 2016 L.A. Times article titled You Want a Description of Hell?
OxyContin 12 Hour Problem.

The drug maker Purdue Pharma launched OxyContin two decades ago with a bold marketing
claim: One dose relieves pain for 12 hours, more than twice as long as generic medications.
Patients would no longer have to wake up in the middle of the night to take their pills, Purdue
told doctors. One OxyContin tablet in the morning and one before bed would provide smooth
and sustained pain control all day and all night.

On the strength of that promise, OxyContin became Americas bestselling painkiller, and Purdue
reaped $31 billion in revenue.

States and communities are now being overrun with the results of this Big Pharma lie. The costs
on taxpayers are incredible and growing with no end in sight.

As Berks County Commissioners along with our District Attorney and Single County Authority
(Council on Chemical Abuse) we are writing to urge you to pursue an investigation and if,
warranted, a civil complaint against Purdue and other Big Pharma companies that we believe,
Attorney General Josh Shapiro
May 11, 2017
Page -2-

like Big Tobacco, knew the dangers of these drugs but promoted them without warning the
medical community or the public as to the inherent dangers of these drugs. Now we have a crisis
that has no clear face. Age, race, education or income seems to make no difference. While there
is clearly some responsibility among medical professionals, Medicare/Medicaid and insurance
companies in general, the blame and liability rests at the doorstep of Purdue and other big
Pharma firms that failed to warn of the dangers of these opioids.

Please let us know what we can do to help. We will gladly reach out for input from both our
state and national county commissioner organizations. We need to fight back for the sake of our
communities and the health of our citizens.

Sincerely,

Berks County Board of Commissioners:

________________________________________________________
Christian Y. Leinbach, Commissioner Chair

________________________________________________________
Kevin S. Barnhardt, Commissioner

District Attorney:

________________________________________________________
John T. Adams

Council on Chemical Abuse:

________________________________________________________
George J. Vogel, Jr., Executive Director