© 2025 New Hampshire Public Radio

Persons with disabilities who need assistance accessing NHPR's FCC public files, please contact us at publicfile@nhpr.org.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Win big during NHPR's Summer Raffle! Purchase your tickets today!

Londonderry Joins Other Municipalities in Suing Opioid Makers

Courtesy U.S Department of Agriculture

The town of Londonderry is suing pharmaceutical makers for their alleged role in fueling the opioid crisis, joining hundreds of other municipalities across the country.

Lawyers representing Londonderry filed a 168-page petition in federal court on Monday accusing a group of pharmaceutical companies including Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, of false marketing and  pushing prescription opioids.

“These pharmaceutical companies aggressively advertised to and persuaded doctors to prescribe highly addictive, dangerous opioids, which then turned patients into drug addicts for their own corporate profit,” reads the complaint. “Such actions were intentional and/or unlawful.”

The lawsuit seeks monetary damages to cover costs for providing medical care for people with opioid addiction, as well as associated costs for law enforcement.

“This is part of a group of lawsuits being brought on behalf of municipalities against opioid manufacturers and distributors, claiming that they have caused this opioid problem in this country with a lot of deaths, overdoses and so forth,” said Thomas Colantuono, a lawyer with Bianco Professional Association, who is representing Londonderry.

Colantuono says the Londonderry case will likely be consolidated into a larger suit involving hundreds of towns, cities and states moving through a federal court in Ohio.

Nashua, Manchester, Concord, and Laconia are among the New Hampshire municipalities that previously filed similar suits.

As a general assignment reporter, I pursue breaking news as well as investigative pieces across a range of topics. I’m drawn to stories that are big and timely, as well as those that may appear small but tell us something larger about the state we live in. I also love a good tip, a good character, or a story that involves a boat ride.
Related Content

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.