Opioid Crisis: Subpoenas To Drug Manufacturers As Part Of Nationwide Probe

Subpoenas went out Tuesday to drug manufacturers and distributors as part of a an investigation into the nation's opioid epidemic. The subpoenas — issued by a coalition of 41 state attorneys general — demand documents from more than half a dozen companies.

The coalition, which announced the probe in June, want to know if drug manufacturers and distributors are engaged in unlawful practices when it comes to the marketing, sale and distribution of opioids.

The demands for documents went to several manufacturers, including Endo, Janssen, Teva/Cephalon, Allergan and Purdue Pharma and several distributors, including AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

While the coalition made a point of saying individual states in the coalition will not be identified, several attorneys general, including those of Nevada, New York, Virginia, Colorado, Texas, Tennessee and Alabama, sent out press releases announcing the subpoenas.

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“Too often, prescription opioids are the on-ramp to addiction for millions of Americans,” said New York Attorney General Schneiderman. “We’re committed to getting to the bottom of a broken system that has fueled the epidemic and taken far too many lives. New Yorkers whose families have been torn apart by the opioid crisis deserve to know if the industry put its bottom line ahead of patient safety.”

“My office is committed to using every tool at our disposal to curb the epidemic and get those affected by it the help they need and the justice they deserve,” he said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that opioids were involved in 33,091 deaths in the United States in 2015, and opioid overdoses have quadrupled since 1999.

"The opioid epidemic has had a devastating impact on millions of families across the country, and Colorado has certainly not been immune to this crisis,” said Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman. “The scourge of opioid addiction has impacted every corner of our state."

Written by Colin Miner (Patch Staff), with additional reporting by Michael Woyton/Patch Staff.

File photo of oxycodone pills via John Moore/Getty Images News/Getty Images.