A coalition of 41 attorneys general, representing a majority of the states, announced the launch of an investigation into opioid manufacturers that sets to determine whether or not those companies violated any laws through their distribution and marketing of prescription opioids.
Document requests and investigative subpoenas were served last month and demonstrated an expansion of the efforts made by the attorneys general of the U.S. to mitigate the effects of the national opioid epidemic.
The bipartisan coalition hopes that by pooling the legal resources available to each respective state, the investigation can better address the opioid addiction epidemic, a public health crisis that affects every corner of the country.
Subpoenas were served to Allergan Inc., Endo International plc, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, and a subpoena for supplemental investigation was served on Purdue Pharma.
In addition, document requests and additional information regarding the distribution of opioid prescriptions were delivered to AmerisourceBergen, McKesson, and Cardinal Health.
Companies that distribute opioids make an average of $500 million a year in revenue. As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 33,091 deaths in the U.S. during 2015 that involved both illicit and prescription opioids.
For Americans under the age of 50, the leading cause of accidental death is a drug overdose, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).
The NIDA report also predicts that death rates due to drug overdose will continue to… (continue reading)
