New Hampshire is latest state to sue Oxycontin manufacturer

CONCORD, N.H. — The New Hampshire attorney general’s office sued Purdue Pharma on Tuesday, alleging the drug manufacturer has continued its deceptive marketing of Oxycontin in a state that has been called the “ground zero” of the opioid epidemic.

In a civil complaint, the state alleges Purdue Pharma has downplayed the drug’s risk of addiction, overstated its effectiveness, claimed it is nearly impossible to abuse and failed to report suspicious prescribers. It’s the latest in a string of lawsuits by state, county and local governments accusing prescription opioid manufacturers of fraud and deceptive marketing. The attorney general’s office in New Hampshire has been investigating half a dozen drug companies and their marketing practices for two years. During that time, the opioid problem has continued to grow. Nearly 500 people died of overdoses in 2016 — a nearly ten-fold increase since 2000. In October, the deputy administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration called the state “ground zero” for the crisis.

“To defeat the epidemic, we must stop creating new users, and part of that is making sure these highly addictive and dangerous drugs are marketed truthfully and without deception and in such a way as not to minimize addiction risks or overstate benefits to patients,” said Deputy Attorney General Ann Rice.