Congress Weighs Options to Control Opioid Copycats
Johnson & Johnson Ordered to Pay $572 Million for Role in State’s Opioid Epidemic
August 26, 2019 by Dan McCue
An Oklahoma judge on Monday ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for its role in fueling the state’s opioid abuse crisis.
Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman’s ruling concluded the first state opioid case to make it to trial.
In handing it down, he said “the opioid crisis has ravaged the state of Oklahoma. It must be abated immediately.”
“For this reason, I’m entering an abatement plan that consists of costs totaling $572,102,028 to immediately remediate the nuisance,” he said.
Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries are expected to appeal the ruling to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
The outcome is expected to have broad implications for the more than 1,500 similar lawsuits filed by local, state and tribal governments that have been consolidated before a federal judge in Ohio.
With Balkman’s ruling, a judge, for the first time has said drug companies can be held liable for the national health crisis of opioid addiction.
Prior to the start of the Johnson & Johnson trial in late May, Oklahoma had reached settlements with two other defendants, with Oxycontin maker Purdue Parma agreeing to pay the state $270 million and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. agreeing to pay $85 million.
In the underlying lawsuit, Oklahoma claimed the drug makers overstated how effective their products were for treating chronic pain and understated the risk of addiction.
According to the state Attorney General’s office, 4,653 residents of the state were killed by opioid overdoses between 2007 and 2017.
Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said on Twitter Monday morning that the state’s case revealed how “corporate greed got in the way of responsible practices at Johnson & Johnson.”
Attorneys for the company countered by arguing their clients did nothing illegal and that they are part of a heavily-regulated industry subject to strict oversight by a number of federal agencies.
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January 31, 2020
by Tom Ramstack
Congress Weighs Options to Control Opioid Copycats
WASHINGTON -- Drug control experts urged Congress Tuesday to take quick action to prevent drugs created by clandestine chemists that... Read More
WASHINGTON -- Drug control experts urged Congress Tuesday to take quick action to prevent drugs created by clandestine chemists that mimic the effects of opioids from entering legal and illegal marketplaces. They suggested that Congress turn a temporary order on the chemicals into a permanent prohibition... Read More
December 20, 2019
by Tom Ramstack
Senate Grapples with Spiraling Opioid Epidemic
WASHINGTON -- A U.S. Senate committee sought answers again Tuesday on how to stop a nationwide crisis of opioid addictions... Read More
WASHINGTON -- A U.S. Senate committee sought answers again Tuesday on how to stop a nationwide crisis of opioid addictions while acknowledging their previous efforts have largely failed. A record 61,300 people died from drug overdoses in 2017 in the U.S., up from 54,800 a year... Read More
December 10, 2019
by How Germany Averted an Opioid Crisis
How Germany Averted an Opioid Crisis
HAMBURG, Germany — In 2016, 10 times as many Americans as Germans died as a result of drug overdoses, mostly... Read More
HAMBURG, Germany — In 2016, 10 times as many Americans as Germans died as a result of drug overdoses, mostly opiates. Three times as many Americans as Germans experienced opioid addiction. Even as the rates of addiction in the U.S. have risen dramatically in the past... Read More
Researcher Develops New Weapon in War Against Overdoses: An Implanted Device That Automatically Releases Lifesaving Naloxone
CHICAGO — An opioid overdose can be a lonely death. People who use drugs often do so in private, and... Read More
CHICAGO — An opioid overdose can be a lonely death. People who use drugs often do so in private, and should they get a dose stronger than they can tolerate, no one will be there to save them with the overdose-reversing medication naloxone. But now, a... Read More
October 1, 2019
by Dan McCue
DEA Allowed Increase of Opioid Production as Overdose Deaths Surged, IG Says
WASHINGTON - The Drug Enforcement Agency allowed drug manufacturers to increase production of opioids, despite the fact that overdose deaths... Read More
WASHINGTON - The Drug Enforcement Agency allowed drug manufacturers to increase production of opioids, despite the fact that overdose deaths were becoming a national health crisis, a government watchdog said in a report released Tuesday. The Justice Department's inspector general review of the agency's regulatory activities... Read More
August 27, 2019
by Dan McCue
Rep. Murphy Announces Federal Funding to Combat Opioid Crisis in Central Florida
WASHINGTON - Representative Stephanie Murphy announced the University of Central Florida will receive $494,412 from the U.S. Department of Health... Read More
WASHINGTON - Representative Stephanie Murphy announced the University of Central Florida will receive $494,412 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to combat the opioid epidemic in central Florida. The funds will be used by the university to train a new generation of... Read More
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