Purdue Pharma says it’s ended programs promoting opioids, and they’re disappointed by a lawsuit filed Wednesday by Virginia’s Attorney General.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, Attorney General Mark Herring alleges the pharmaceutical company has profited from the opioid crisis and violated the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. For states battling the opioid epidemic, targeting opioid producers has become an increasingly common tactic.
There’s been a string of lawsuits from state attorneys general, up to almost nearly two dozen, and Virginia is just the latest. In May, seven states announced lawsuits against Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin, accusing it of fueling the opioid epidemic through deceptive marketing. Massachusetts hopped on board earlier this month.
Purdue Pharma said it is working with states to help address the public health crisis.
Speaking at a press conference here in Virginia, recovered addict Honesty Liller says she’s been lucky to make it out alive.
“So many hundreds of funerals that I’ve been to in this process, you know and specifically with the opioids,” Liller said. “It’s a tragedy.”
Over the past decade about 5,000 Virginians have died from prescription opioid overdose.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
