Ohio Sues Makers of Pain Meds

In one of the highest-profile cases to date against makers of prescription painkillers, Ohio filed suit against five drug companies, alleging they fueled the opioid addiction crisis by misrepresenting the addictive risks of their painkillers. 

The complaint, filed in state court, targets parent companies and various subsidiaries. 

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, a Republican who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the state, said at a news conference that the companies were dishonest with doctors and the public about their painkillers’ risks. 

“The evidence is going to show they knew what they were saying was not true and they did it to increase sales,” he said. 

DeWine said opioid addiction has taken an extraordinary human and financial toll on Ohio, which has one of the highest opioid overdose death rates of any state. He said the addiction crisis has placed great financial burdens on the state, including the Medicaid program, which provides substance-abuse treatment, and foster-care programs, which are grappling with a big rise in children taken out of parental care because of addiction. 

Ohio’s lawsuit is among the most comprehensive taken by any state against a broad group of opioid painkiller makers. DeWine said the only other similar lawsuit was filed by Mississippi in state court in December 2015, alleging similar wrongdoing. That suit is pending. 

The Ohio case comes at a time when politicians are increasingly citing the addiction epidemic as a major policy priority. 

Source: Wall Street Journal