The City of Indianapolis on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against multiple drugmakers and drug distributors for their alleged role in facilitating widespread opioid use in the city and Marion County, according to a report from IndyStar.
Indianapolis' Democratic Mayor Joe Hogset first announced plans for the lawsuit in October. The 167-page suit alleges the companies engaged in deceptive marketing campaigns that misrepresented the safety and addiction risks associated with opioid medications, while simultaneously accumulating "blockbuster profits" from drug sales. As a result of these activities, Indianapolis and Marion County have been forced to spend millions to address rising addiction rates and drug overdose deaths in the community, according to the lawsuit.
The drugmakers named in the suit include Allergan Pharmaceuticals, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, Mallinckrodt, Purdue Pharma and Teva Pharmaceuticals, as well as multiple subsidiaries of these companies. The drug distributors named in the suit include Cardinal Health, McKesson Corp. and AmerisourceBergen.
Marion County reported more than 345 drug overdose deaths in 2016, according to the lawsuit.
More articles on opioids:
Study: 2 most common medication-assisted opioid addiction treatments produce similar results
Salt Lake County to sue drugmakers over opioid epidemic
Newly formed Opioid Network calls for $45B to fight opioid epidemic