Attorneys on behalf of Huerfano County filed a lawsuit Sunday against drugmakers and distributors for allegedly contributing to the county's opioid crisis, marking the first such lawsuit filed by a local government in Colorado, according to a report from The Denver Post.
The suit alleges these companies engaged in deceptive marketing campaigns that misled the community about the safety of opioid pain medications. The county seeks to recoup $750,000 in economic damages as a result of the opioid crisis and $1.5 million in future damages related to the crisis.
"Our county is one of the hardest hit counties in Colorado," said John Galusha, county administrator, according to The Denver Post. "We need to stop this opioid epidemic before it becomes worse."
The suit names McKesson, Johnson & Johnson, Purdue Pharma, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceuticals and numerous subsidiaries of these companies as defendants.
More articles on opioids:
FDA calls for packaging change to opioid antidiarrheal to limit overdose risk
Florida physician convicted in 49k pill opioid prescription scam
Fentanyl seizure contained enough doses to kill New Jersey and NYC's entire population