BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is suing the makers of oxycontin, claiming the company is profiting from the opioid epidemic.
Posters displayed at a press conference Tuesday listed the names of the Massachusetts residents who died from an opioid-related overdose involving a Purdue Pharma product over the past few years.
“The stories are in every community, every neighborhood, every socio-economic level. That's how devastating this is. That's why this is an epidemic. That's why this is a crisis,” Healey said. “That's why we're suing Purdue Pharma and its executives.”
Healey announced the lawsuit following a three-year investigation into Purdue Pharma. The suit claims Purdue and its executives are illegally marketing opioids and profiting from the opioid epidemic.
MORE: The Exit Drug: Can cannabis help solve the opioid crisis?
“For Purdue, it was all about the money and it was profits over people,” Healey said. “For us it's about justice.”
The suit seeks an unspecified amount in damages and calls for the company to change its practices.
Arlington Police Chief Fred Ryan says opioids have changed the war on drugs.
“There's a new battlefield and that's in the boardrooms of these corporations that are profiting on the backs of people suffering from substance disorder,” Chief Ryan said.
Healey says this lawsuit is the first of many the state plans to file against opioid makers.
Purdue sent a statement to Boston 25 News in response to the state's lawsuit:
“We share the Attorney General’s concern about the opioid crisis. We are disappointed, however, that in the midst of good faith negotiations with many states, the Commonwealth has decided to pursue a costly and protracted litigation process. We will continue to work collaboratively with the states toward bringing meaningful solutions.
We vigorously deny the Commonwealth’s allegations and look forward to presenting our substantial defenses to these claims.”
MORE: Hidden Illness: Bacterial infection adding to opioid epidemic death toll