AUSTIN, Texas – Texas joined five other states Tuesday in lawsuits accusing a pharmaceutical company of using deceptive marketing to boost drugs sales that fueled opioid overdose deaths.
State Attorney General Ken Paxton said Texas' lawsuit against Purdue Pharma accuses the company of violating the state's Deceptive Trade Practices Act.
"My office is holding Purdue Pharma accountable for fueling the nation's opioid epidemic by deceptive marketing of its prescription opioid painkillers, including OxyContin," Paxton said.
Paxton accused the company of using a sophisticated marketing scheme aimed at consumers and health care providers.
Attorneys general in Nevada, Florida, North Carolina, North Dakota and Tennessee, were also expected to file similar lawsuits.
Bob Josephson, a spokesman for Purdue Pharma, said the lawsuits followed months of negotiations with state officials to address the opioid crisis. He said the filings promise costly and protracted litigation.