Delaware’s Suit Against Drugmakers Over Opioids Remanded to State Court

A federal judge has ruled that Delaware’s lawsuit against drug manufacturers, distributors and drugstores over the opioid crisis should be sent back to state court.

In a ruling last week, the judge granted the state’s request to remand the case back to Superior Court.

State officials filed the lawsuit in January, accusing pharmaceutical companies of misleading doctors and consumers about the risks and addictive qualities of prescription painkillers.

Named as defendants in the suit were manufacturers Purdue Pharma and Endo Pharmaceuticals, and drug distributors such as Cardinal Health and McKesson Corporation.

McKesson filed court papers to transfer the case to federal court, saying it involved issues regarding the Federal Controlled Substances Act.

But the judge said McKesson had failed to show that Delaware’s state law claims implicate federal jurisdiction.