States expand investigation of opioid makers, distributors

Attorneys general from most states are broadening their investigation into the opioid industry as a nationwide overdose crisis continues to claim thousands of lives.

They announced Tuesday that they had served subpoenas requesting information from five companies that make powerful prescription painkillers and demanded information from three distributors. Forty-one attorneys general are involved in various parts of the civil investigation. The probe into marketing and sales practices seeks to find out whether the industry’s own actions worsened the epidemic.

If the industry cooperates, the investigation could lead to a national settlement. Connecticut Attorney George Jepsen said in an interview that there are early indications that drugmakers and distributors will discuss the matter with the states.

“The advantage of the multi-state approach is that it’s not simply about providing a paycheck for damages to states,” Jepsen said. “It provides the opportunity to address broader policy concerns and industry practices.”

Companies that received the requests said in statements that they were already taking steps to stem the opioid crisis. The drugmaker Janssen, for instance, said it’s trying to educate prescribers about the drugs, and distributor Cardinal Health said it supports a variety of efforts to fight the epidemic and would work with attorneys general. Another distributor, AmerisourceBergen, said it has prevented tens of thousands of suspicious opioid orders from shipping.

Allergan spokesman Mark Marmur said his company would cooperate with the investigation but noted that its two branded opioids haven’t been promoted for years and made up less than 1 percent of opioids prescribed in the U.S. last year.

PhRMA, a trade group representing drugmakers, declined to comment on the investigation but said it is trying to deter and prevent drug abuse.

The group and some of its members met Monday with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican who is the head of President Donald Trump’s task force on opioids, and pledged to try to develop technologies to reduce the risk of addiction and abuse.

The Healthcare Distribution Alliance said in a statement that it’s not responsible for the volume of opioid prescribing but that it does want to work on solving the public health crisis.