LAS VEGAS (KTNV/CNN) - The state of Nevada is suing the pharmaceutical giant behind such opioids as OxyContin.
The lawsuit claims the company downplayed risks and overstated benefits so they could profit from pain.
Those are just some of the accusations in this newly filed lawsuit against drug manufacturer Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin and other opioids.
“Misrepresentations that targeted doctors, patients, our elderly, our veterans, people with arthritis, back pain and migraines,” said Nevada Attorney General Adam Laxalt.
Laxalt said Purdue's deception lined the pockets of its owners and led to the death and hospitalization of thousands of Nevadans.
These actions fueled Nevada's opioid epidemic and led to overdose deaths of people like Michael Yenick.
Yenick was a stand-out high school and college athlete who died in 2015 from an accidental overdose following a long standing football injury.
"Purdue Pharmaceuticals put out this drug and I really do believe they deceived the public in that it was so highly addictive," said Cyndi Yenick, Michael Yenick's mother.
Florida, North Carolina, North Dakota, Texas and Tennessee filed similar lawsuits against Purdue Pharma Tuesday.
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