Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson, Teva, Endo and more drugmakers have been accused of fraudulent marketing by a county in New York state. The suit says the companies downplayed the risks of prescription opioid painkillers, spurring a drug epidemic.
The lawsuit was announced May 15 in Orange County, New York, but was filed on May 11. The lawsuit by local and state governments claims the drugmakers misrepresented the dangers of long-term opioid use to doctors, pharmacists and patients.
This lawsuit is the fourth since August by a New York county related to opioid addiction, with several other counties considering suits. Similar lawsuits have been filed in California, Mississippi and the city of Chicago.
Read the Reuters report