New Hampshire Senator Wants Info On Purdue's Anti-Addiction Marketing

New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is asking the head of the federal Food and Drug Administration to provide information on how the agency is preventing pharmaceutical companies from fueling the opioid crisis by marketing both addictive prescription drugs and anti-addiction medications.

Shaheen's letter dated Tuesday follows the release of court documents in a Massachusetts lawsuit alleging that pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma was considering trying to profit off of the opioid crisis by introducing products into the treatment market, creating what Shaheen calls "perverse incentives."

Purdue said the lawsuit is taking pieces of company documents out of context.

Shaheen's letter asks how many manufacturers of some FDA-approved narcotic opioid therapies also have obtained or are seeking FDA approval for indications of opioid addiction treatment, and how has the FDA responded.