RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia's attorney general has filed a new lawsuit over the opioid crisis, even as the top lawyers in some states are pushing to settle claims over powerful prescription painkillers.
Mark Herring filed a lawsuit Thursday against Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, saying it and a company that it bought misrepresented the benefits and risks of products that include fentanyl.
A company spokeswoman did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Some 2,700 lawsuits have been filed nationwide against the drug industry over the toll of opioids, including at least one from nearly every state. Herring's is the first one filed by a state since a group of attorneys general announced a plan to settle suits nationally with five companies, including Teva. Few states have endorsed the $48 billion proposal so far.
