Drugmakers suchas Purdue Pharma LP and Johnson & Johnson that sell opioidpainkillers face hundreds of lawsuits filed by states, cities,counties, Native American tribes and labor unions. (Photo:Shutterstock)

President Donald Trump said Thursday he wants the U.S.government to sue pharmaceutical companies that manufacture opioids as part of his efforts tohalt an epidemic of drug addiction.

Trump said he'd like to bring a federal lawsuit, rather thanjust join existing litigation against the drugmakers.

“Some states have done it,” Trump said during a Cabinet meetingat the White House. “But I'd like a lawsuit to be brought againstthese companies that are really sending opioids at a level — itshouldn't be happening. So highly addictive. People go into ahospital with a broken arm, they come out, they're a drugaddict.”

Related: With Trump MIA on opioids, here come thelawyers

Drugmakers such as Purdue Pharma LP and Johnson & Johnsonthat sell opioid painkillers face hundreds of lawsuits filed bystates, cities, counties, Native American tribes and labor unionsas the epidemic of addiction continues to rage in the U.S. TheCenters for Disease Control and Prevention said preliminaryestimates indicate that almost 72,000 Americans died from opioidoverdoses last year, a figure that has been rising for years.

Trump didn't offer more detail on a possible a lawsuit.

“Purdue shares the president's concern about the opioid crisis,”the Stamford, Connecticut-based drugmaker said in a statement.“While our opioid medicines account for less than 2 percent oftotal prescriptions, Purdue is committed to working collaborativelywith those affected by this public health crisis on meaningfulsolutions to help stem the tide of opioid-related overdosedeaths.”

Republican leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committeewrote Aug. 3 to opioid manufacturers Purdue, Insys TherapeuticsInc. and Mallinckrodt Plc, asking about their role in the epidemic.Lawmakers have also focused on pharmaceutical distributors such asMcKesson Corp. and Cardinal Health Inc.

J&J, Insys, Mallinckrodt and the Justice Department didn'timmediately respond to requests for comment. Chinese Imports

Trump also asked the Justice Department to address the flow ofsynthetic opioids from China. The drugs have played an increasingrole in overdose deaths in the U.S. as users turn from prescribedpills to often illicitly obtained compounds from overseas,manufactured from a variety of producers.

Trump asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to do “whatever youcan do from a legal standpoint, whether it's litigation, lawsuits,with people and companies.”

“In China you have some pretty big companies sending thatgarbage and killing our people,” Trump said. “It's almost a form ofwarfare. And I'd like to do whatever you can do legally to stop itfrom China and from Mexico.”

Sessions said that the Justice Department had identifiedcompanies shipping some of the illegal drugs and was takingaction.

“We're returning indictments now against distributors fromChina,” Sessions told Trump, though added that some of the importswere still coming in through smuggling.

— With assistance by Chris Strohm

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