Pa. Attorney General Suing Drugmaker Over Opioid Epidemic
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The attorney general of Pennsylvania has filed a lawsuit accusing the company that makes OxyContin of fueling the opioid epidemic.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced the lawsuit Tuesday against Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma. Pennsylvania is one of the states hardest hit by opioid addiction. It is at least the 39th state to sue Purdue.
Shapiro's office two years ago joined with dozens of other states to investigate companies that make and distribute opioid painkillers.
Several Pennsylvania counties have already sued drugmakers, and a federal judge in Cleveland is overseeing more than 1,500 lawsuits filed by local governments, Native American tribes and others against the opioid industry.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says opioids were involved in a record 48,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2017.
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