Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Johnson & Johnson must pay over $572 million for its role in Oklahoma opioid crisis, judge rules

The pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson ran a “false and dangerous” sales campaign that caused addiction and death as it drove America’s opioid epidemic, an Oklahoma court has ruled in the first judgement of its kind against the drug industry.
In a damning 42-page decision, Judge Thad Balkman ruled that the company bore a wide responsibility for helping to create the worst drug epidemic in US history. He said it not only aggressively pushed false claims about the safety and effectiveness of its own narcotic painkillers, but that it changed medical practice with “deceptive” claims intended to break down caution among doctors about prescribing opioids. That included using its huge resources to fund organisations and research to promote narcotics.
Balkman ordered the company to pay $572m in compensation initially with additional payments to be negotiated to cover treatment, overdose prevention and other costs of abating the epidemic in Oklahoma in the coming years. The state had asked for $17bn.
Johnson & Johnson said it will appeal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6K_MVimAaE0
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/johnson-johnson-
https://shore-215.blogspot.com/2019/08/johnson-johnson-ordered-to-pay-572m-for.html