US: Johnson & Johnson ordered to pay $572m in opioid addiction case

A case was brought against the pharmaceutical company by Mike Hunter, Attorney General of Oklahoma, under the state’s public nuisance laws, the BBC reports.

Lawyers for the state argued that the company’s marketing campaign had minimised the risks and promoted the benefits of opioids, contributing to over-prescription and addiction.

Around 6,000 people in Oklahoma have died from opioid overdoses since 2000. Nearly 400,000 people died from opioid overdoses across the entire US between 1999 and 2017.

Johnson & Johnson’s share price rose following the ruling because industry experts expected a much greater fine in the region of $1.5 billion to $2bn.

Lawyer Sabrina Strong, representing Johnson & Johnson, said: “We have sympathy for all who suffer from substance abuse, but Johnson & Johnson did not cause the opioid abuse crisis here in Oklahoma, or anywhere in this country.

“We do not believe that the facts or the law supports the decision today. We have many strong grounds for appeal, and we intend to pursue those vigorously.”