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Ohio AG sues five drug makers of opioids, including Teva and Endo

The lawsuit includes Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Endo International and accuses them of fueling the opioid epidemic with misleading marketing and promotion of addictive prescription painkillers.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine speaks during a press conference at the Attorney General’s office in Columbus, Ohio.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine speaks during a press conference at the Attorney General’s office in Columbus, Ohio.Read moreAP
    by Linda Loyd
    Published 

The state of Ohio has sued five drug manufacturers of prescription opioid painkillers, accusing them of overstating the drugs' benefits and playing down the addictive qualities.

The lawsuit accuses Endo International in Malvern; Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in Petah Tikva, Israel and North Wales, Montgomery County; Purdue Pharma in Stamford, Conn.; Allergan PLC in Parsippany-Troy Hills, N.J.; and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson company in Beerse, Belgium with helping fuel the opioid crisis by spending millions of dollars marketing and promoting such drugs as OxyContin, Vicodin, Fentanyl, and Percocet.

More than 50,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2016, including prescription painkillers, opioids, and heroin, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Teva said in an e-mailed statement that the company "is committed to the appropriate promotion and use of opioids" and has "programs in place that educate prescribers, pharmacists, and patients to the responsible and safe use of these products. We are committed to working with the health care community, regulators, and public officials to collaboratively find solutions."

Endo declined to comment, saying "it is our company policy not to comment on current/ongoing litigation."