Harrisburg – June 15, 2017 – State Senator Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) issued the following statement thanking Attorney General Josh Shapiro for joining the investigation into potentially misleading pharmaceutical marketing campaigns.
“We can’t simply wish this problem away or continue to act as if it will fix itself,” Costa said. “We need to explore every option available to us and work collectively to save lives. That’s what this is all about.”
According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, in 2016 4,642 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania were reported with heroin or at least one other opiate or opioid present in 85 percent of cases.
“There isn’t a corner of this state that hasn’t been affected by the opioid epidemic,” said Costa. “I applaud the efforts of AG Shapiro and his commitment to the families we’re working so hard to help.”
Earlier today, Costa signaled his intent to introduce a resolution urging Governor Tom Wolf and Attorney General Josh Shapiro to file suit against the pharmaceutical industry for deceptive and unfair marketing practices.
Costa’s resolution requests that any funds recovered from the lawsuits be placed in a reserve account to be used for drug, alcohol and mental health treatment.
-30-