MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan says he’s filed suit against eight members of the family that owns a drug company that manufactures OxyContin, one of the drugs believed to be partly responsible for the opioid crisis.
Donovan alleged Tuesday that for over two decades the Sackler family, the owners of Purdue Pharma, minimized the health risks of opioids, claiming the prescription drugs were rarely the cause of abuse, addiction, or death.
Last September the state filed suit against Pharma.
Donovan says the Sacklers directed Purdue to promote products that were more dangerous, addictive and lucrative.
An email to Purdue Pharma was not immediately returned Tuesday, but in a statement released after the September lawsuit, the company said it shared Vermont’s concerns about the opioid crisis, but denied Purdue acted improperly.
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