Delaware Attorney General Matt Denn has filed a lawsuit against opioid drug makers.
The lawsuit accuses the companies of fueling the state’s drug epidemic. Filed in Delaware Superior Court, it seeks financial compensation from drug manufacturers, distributors and retail pharmacies. And he wants companies to crackdown on the amounts of pills going into the state’s communities.
Denn said the companies like Purdue Pharma, McKessen and Walgreens failed to make sure the drugs went to legitimate patients. The legal filings cite statistics saying 50 opioid pills are shipped into Delaware annually for every man, woman and child.
In a statement, Denn said the manufacturers misrepresented the addictive nature of the pills. And he says all the companies knew they were shipping larger amounts of the drugs than they knew could be used for approved medical purposes.
Denn said these companies must be held accountable. More than 300 people in Delaware died of suspected opioid deaths in 2016.