Clark County, Nev., commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to pursue an opioid epidemic lawsuit against major pharmaceutical companies, according to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
District Attorney Steve Wolfson will oversee the lawsuit in conjunction with Las Vegas law firm Eglet Prince. Clark County seeks to recover costs associated with its response to rising rates of opioid overdoses, which includes expenses for medical treatment, law enforcement efforts and educational initiatives.
"The crisis was precipitated by defendants, who, through deceptive means, and using one of the biggest pharmaceutical marketing campaigns in history, carefully engineered and continue to support a dramatic shift in the culture of prescribing opioids by falsely portraying both the risks of addiction and abuse and the safety and benefits of long-term use," a draft of the lawsuit states, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Nearly 300 Clark County residents died of an opioid overdose in 2015, according to data from the Southern Nevada Health District cited in the report.
The report did not state which drugmakers will be named in the lawsuit.
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