The big villain in the opioid epidemic has been Purdue Pharma, which pleaded guilty in 2006 to deceptive marketing of Oxycontin, especially in Appalachia, and is the target of many lawsuits. But now an Oklahoma suit alleges that Johnson & Johnson was the "kingpin," Axios reports.
The company better known for Band-Aids and baby powder was "a top supplier, seller and lobbyist, according to a state official leading the legal fight against the companies that helped create the crisis," Bob Herman reports. "The first big trial of the opioid epidemic is set to begin in May in Oklahoma. It will set the stage for similar litigation in other states, as well as the consolidated nationwide lawsuit that has been compared to the tobacco litigation of the 1990s."
Herman adds, "Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter has asked a state court to publicly release millions of pages of confidential documents that J&J submitted during the discovery phase of the case. . . . J&J produced raw narcotics in Tasmanian poppy fields, created other active opioid ingredients, and then supplied the products to other opioid makers — including Purdue Pharma.
The company boasted at the time that one of its opium poppies "enabled the growth of oxycodone," and said the morphine content of a different poppy was 'the highest in the world,' according to investor slides obtained by Axios."
Also, Hunter is alleging that "J&J targeted vulnerable populations, including children and older adults, for painkiller prescriptions," Herman reports. "The state also says J&J funded groups that aggressively advocated for easy access to opioids. J&J has funded several pro-opioid groups, such as the Pain Care Forum. A brochure intended for seniors that was made by a J&J subsidiary also claimed 'opioids are rarely addictive'."
For its part, "J&J urged the Oklahoma court to deny the attorney general's request, saying the state is seeking 'sensationalistic headlines and to poison potential jurors,' Herman reports. "In statements to Axios, J&J said its subsidiaries "met all laws and regulations" and that all allegations are "baseless and unsubstantiated."
The company better known for Band-Aids and baby powder was "a top supplier, seller and lobbyist, according to a state official leading the legal fight against the companies that helped create the crisis," Bob Herman reports. "The first big trial of the opioid epidemic is set to begin in May in Oklahoma. It will set the stage for similar litigation in other states, as well as the consolidated nationwide lawsuit that has been compared to the tobacco litigation of the 1990s."
Herman adds, "Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter has asked a state court to publicly release millions of pages of confidential documents that J&J submitted during the discovery phase of the case. . . . J&J produced raw narcotics in Tasmanian poppy fields, created other active opioid ingredients, and then supplied the products to other opioid makers — including Purdue Pharma.
The company boasted at the time that one of its opium poppies "enabled the growth of oxycodone," and said the morphine content of a different poppy was 'the highest in the world,' according to investor slides obtained by Axios."
Also, Hunter is alleging that "J&J targeted vulnerable populations, including children and older adults, for painkiller prescriptions," Herman reports. "The state also says J&J funded groups that aggressively advocated for easy access to opioids. J&J has funded several pro-opioid groups, such as the Pain Care Forum. A brochure intended for seniors that was made by a J&J subsidiary also claimed 'opioids are rarely addictive'."
For its part, "J&J urged the Oklahoma court to deny the attorney general's request, saying the state is seeking 'sensationalistic headlines and to poison potential jurors,' Herman reports. "In statements to Axios, J&J said its subsidiaries "met all laws and regulations" and that all allegations are "baseless and unsubstantiated."
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