CHICAGO (Reuters) – Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said on Wednesday that his office sued five drug manufacturers, accusing them of misrepresenting the risks of prescription opioid painkillers, helping fuel a drug addiction epidemic.

The suit by Ohio came amid a growing number of lawsuits by state and local governments against drugmakers and distributors seeking to hold them accountable for the opioid crisis.

(Reporting by Chris Kenning; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)