Local

AG Ferguson announces lawsuit against three large pharmaceutical distributors

State Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced a lawsuit Tuesday against three large pharmaceutical distributors, alleging they contributed to the illegal supply of opioids in Washington, fueling the state's opioid epidemic.

The lawsuit asserts that three companies -- McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp -- failed to protect consumers by not alerting law enforcement of suspicious opioid orders and illegally shipping these orders into the state for years.

Scroll down to continue reading

More news from KIRO 7

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE NEWS APP

Ferguson said during a press conference that this not only violated the state's Consumer Protection Act, but also fueled the opioid epidemic, which is ongoing in Washington. At one point, he also said that eight counties in Washington had more pills than people living there.

The office has previously sued the makers of OxyCotin for downplaying the addictions their drugs can create.

0