Opioid crisis hits home for some regional firms

4 firms in Chester and Montgomery counties face lawsuits and investigations into their operations

The ongoing drug addiction epidemic in the U.S. put several companies in Chester and Montgomery counties into an unwanted spotlight in 2017.

What had been a steady but somewhat random group of legal actions taken against area opioid makers and a distributor turned into a more concerted effort in September when 41 attorneys general announced they would investigate the companies together.

Coming under the microscope in the region are the business practices of Chester Countybased drug makers Endo Pharmaceuticals and Cephalon (now part of Teva, which also has North American headquarters in North Wales, Montgomery County), and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, which has offices in Horsham, Montgomery County. Drug distributor AmerisourceBergen of Conshohocken and Tredyffrin also has been named in a number of the legal actions, along with two other of the nation’s largest distributors. All have denied any wrongdoing.

Now, in addition to the lawsuits filed by counties and cities across the nation seeking compensation from the companies for the expenses they have incurred responding to overdose victims, opioid makers and distributors face a probe into whether their business practices broke any laws.

“As I promised the day I took office in January, we are confronting this epidemic on our street corners, in doctors’ offices and hospitals, and now — in the boardrooms of pharmaceutical companies,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said at the news conference announcing the joint investigation at Upper Dublin High School in Montgomery County. “We will follow the facts and the law, without fear or favor, and hold the responsible persons and companies accountable for the tragic loss of life and damage suffered by so many families across our commonwealth.”

“To any parent, family or

KAITLYN FOTI — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA FILE PHOTO Attorney General Josh Shapiro earlier this year endorsed Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to add $10 million into a proposal to battle opioid overdoses.