COLUMBUS, Ohio (Legal Newsline) — Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine announced a lawsuit May 31 against five prescription opioid manufacturers for allegations of fraudulent marketing about the risks of opioids.
"We believe the evidence will also show that these companies got thousands and thousands of Ohioans -- our friends, our family members, our co-workers, our kids -- addicted to opioid pain medications, which has all too often led to use of the cheaper alternatives of heroin and synthetic opioids," DeWine said.
"These drug manufacturers led prescribers to believe that opioids were not addictive, that addiction was an easy thing to overcome, or that addiction could actually be treated by taking even more opioids. They knew they were wrong, but they did it anyway -- and they continue to do it.
"Despite all evidence to the contrary about the addictive nature of these pain medications, they are doing precious little to take responsibility for their actions and to tell the public the truth."
The five manufacturers involved in the lawsuit are Purdue Pharma, marketer of OxyContin, MS Contin, Dilaudid, Butrans, Hyslingla, and Targiniq, Endo Health Solutions, the marketer of Percocet, Percodan, Opana and Zydone, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and its subsidiary Cephalon, the marketers Actiq and Fentora, Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals, marketers of Duragesic and Nucynta, and Allergan, marketer of Kadian, Norco and a multitude of generic opioids.