The Latest: Hassan blames drug makers for opioid crisis


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CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The Latest on New Hampshire's lawsuit against Purdue Pharma (all times local):

6:51 p.m.

Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan says the role that drugmakers have played in the opioid crisis in New Hampshire is abundantly clear.

Following the state's announcement Tuesday that it would sue Purdue Pharma, Hassan issued a statement accusing drugmakers that sell opioid products of conducting a "campaign of deception to mask how addictive these products really are."

She says the problems involving drugmakers "continue to persist," despite fines and that it was "time for real change to reverse the tide of this horrific epidemic that stems in large part from the misuse and abuse of prescription opioids."

The New Hampshire attorney general's office is suing Purdue Pharma, alleging that the drug manufacturer has continued its deceptive marketing of OxyContin in a state that has been called the "ground zero" of the opioid epidemic.

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5:19 p.m.

The New Hampshire attorney general's office is suing Purdue Pharma, alleging that 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 filed Tuesday, the state alleges that Purdue Pharma has downplayed oxycodone's risk of addiction, overstated its effectiveness, claimed it is nearly impossible to abuse and failed to report suspicious prescribers.

A spokesman for Cranbury, New Jersey-based Purdue Pharma the company vigorously denies the allegations, though it shares New Hampshire's concerns about the opioid crisis and is committed to finding solutions.

It's the latest in a string of lawsuits by state, county and local governments accusing prescription opioid manufacturers of fraud and deceptive marketing.

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