Ohio Couple Says Opioid Cancer Pain Drug Promoted for Off-Label Use

CLEVELAND — An Ohio couple have accused the makers of Subsys, an opioid drug approved for cancer-related pain, of paying doctors to prescribe the medication for off-label uses, thereby exposing patients to the risks of addiction and accidental overdose.

The July 31 complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio says Insys Therapeutics Inc., Insys Pharma Inc. and Insys Manufacturing LLC failed to warn of Subsys’s risks when improperly pushing the drug on patients without cancer.

Plaintiffs further accuse the companies of placing public profits above public safety.

In 2013, Michael Kelley was prescribed …