The state of Ohio is looking to stifle the escalating number of prescription drug abuse related deaths within the state. Just last year alone, in only one county in the state, 666 residents died. Ohio is blaming the rising death count on the conglomerate of drug companies that downplay the dangers involved in consuming prescription drugs. The five drug companies at the center of the initiated lawsuit are Purdue Pharma, Endo Health Solutions, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and subsidiary Cephalon, Johnson & Johnson and subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and Allergan. Representatives for Ohio argue that they would not have invested a large portion of the state’s funding towards prescribed medication had they known the extremely addictive nature of the drugs the companies produce. Read more