As the opioid crisis spreads across the country, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says attorneys general from all 50 states are involved, in one way or another, in pursuing legal action against responsible parties in the pharmaceutical industry, like Purdue Pharma — the company that has marketed OxyContin.

Miller — who is a Democrat — joined Iowa’s Republican governor at a forum to examine the extent of the opioid epidemic in Iowa and what state policies could be changed to address it.

 

Miller says opioids should be the pain remedy of “last resort.” He blasts pharmaceutical companies for downplaying the “addictive nature” of opioids.

 

Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against drug makers and marketers, accusing companies of downplaying the risks of addiction to and overdoses from pain medications. In 2007, Purdue Pharma and three of its executives pleaded guilty to misbranding OxyContin and paid 630-million in penalties. Earlier this week, a spokesman for the company said Purdue Pharma is “commuted to being part of the solution to our nation’s opioid crisis.”