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Facing a barrage of lawsuits for its alleged role in seeding the opioid crisis, Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, is countering with a public outreach campaign meant to show it is doing its part to stem the epidemic. The company last week launched an advertising campaign in national newspapers, Washington publications, and local papers in its home state of Connecticut. In a statement, Purdue said the ads were part of a broader “long-term initiative,” but declined to provide details about what else would be included beyond the advertisements. (Joseph, 12/22)

The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe filed a lawsuit Tuesday against a group of opioid manufacturers and distributors, alleging that the companies are responsible for high levels of addiction and overdose deaths on the reservation. A suit names 23 defendants including manufacturers Purdue Pharma Inc., Cephalon Inc., and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., as well as distributors The McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health, Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp. (Pastoor, 12/21)

DeKalb County on Wednesday filed suit against opioid manufacturers, distributors and others who allegedly helped mislead the public about the dangers of the drugs. Deaths from opioids have skyrocketed in the county, as they have across Georgia. From 1999 to 2013, deaths in the state tripled. (Sharpe, 12/21)

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control shows that New Hampshire had one of the highest drug overdose death rates in the country last year. The state saw an overdose death rate of 39 people per 100,000 in 2016. That’s up from 34 people per 100,000 the previous year. (Sutherland, 12/21)

Overdose deaths are accelerating in the nation, and Ohio is ahead of the curve. Not only did the state rank 2nd in the number of such deaths in 2016 behind only West Virginia, the deadly trend is continuing and possibly accelerating in 2017, early reports show. (DeMio, 12/21)