Alva Review-Courier -

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley on Wednesday filed suit against three large pharmaceutical companies, saying their "campaign of fraud and deception" led to a startling opioid crisis in the state.

Hawley, a Republican, filed suit St. Louis Circuit Court, naming Endo Pharmaceuticals, Purdue Pharma, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Hawley said at a news conference that the suit will seek "hundreds of millions of dollars" in both damages and civil penalties.

Hawley said the three companies over several years misrepresented the addictive risks of opioids, often using fraudulent s...