In a recent groundbreaking case, an Oklahoma judge ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for its role in the opioid crisis that has ravaged the Sooner State for many years. The use of opioids starting with prescription pain killers and often ending with heroin or fentanyl has claimed thousands of lives of Oklahomans who initially … [Read more...]
Judge: Johnson & Johnson Must Pay State of Oklahoma $572 Million
On Monday, Cleveland County, Oklahoma Judge Thad Balkman ordered pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million over a period of several years for its role in the opioid crisis that has ravaged the state, wreaked havoc on communities, and devastated families over the last several years. This landmark decision marks the end of … [Read more...]
Johnson & Johnson Facing Multi-Billion Dollar Lawsuit
The family-friendly image of the Johnson & Johnson company is a distant memory now as the manufacturing/retail giant faces a huge legal battle that has temporarily moved the spotlight from its talcum powder lawsuits and its transvaginal mesh medical device lawsuits to a multi-billion dollar opioid lawsuit filed by the state of Oklahoma. The … [Read more...]
Opioid Manufacturer Insys Caught In A Kickback Probe Files Bankruptcy
According to Reuters, Drugmaker Insys Therapeutics Inc filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday amid mounting expenses driven by a U.S. Justice Department probe into claims it paid doctors bribes to prescribe a powerful opioid medication. The Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing marked a first for a drugmaker accused in lawsuits of helping fuel the … [Read more...]
U.S. Football Player’s Overdose Death Spotlighted In J&J Oklahoma Opioid Trial
According to Reuters, the father of a college football player who died of a drug overdose gave emotional testimony about the U.S. opioid epidemic’s personal cost. Craig Box said that he never suspected his son was abusing painkillers until after he was found unconscious. Austin, the 22 year old football player, died later at the hospital. … [Read more...]
Verdict Reached In Bribery Trial of U.S. Drug Execs Linked to Opioid Crisis
According to Reuters, the founder of Insys Therapeutics and four colleagues were found guilty on Thursday of bribing doctors to prescribe the drugmaker’s addictive painkiller, helping to drive the U.S. opioid drug abuse crisis. A federal jury in Boston found John Kapoor, guilty of racketeering conspiracy for a scheme that also misled insurers … [Read more...]
Feds File Criminal Charges Against Opioid Distributor, Two Executives
Federal prosecutors have filed criminal charges against drug distributor Rochester Drug Cooperative (RDC) and two of its former executives. The charges, a first, targeted at legal painkiller wholesalers for contributing to the opioid epidemic. Prosecutors allege executives shipped tens of millions of oxycodone pills, as well as other drugs like … [Read more...]
Former Insys CEO Pleads Guilty to Opioid Kickback Scheme
The former chief executive of Insys Therapeutics pleaded guilty on Wednesday to engaging in a scheme to bribe doctors to prescribe an addictive opioid medication and has agreed to become a government witness, according to Reuters. Prosecutors allege that from 2012 to 2015, Babich and others conspired to bribe doctors in exchange for prescribing … [Read more...]
If You Can’t Beat ‘Em…Let ‘em Shoot Up?
Medical and recreational marijuana, sanctuary cities, net neutrality, and climate change. These are just a few examples of the many issues pitting state and local governments against the federal government. We can now add supervised injection sites (SIS), also known as supervised consumption services or overdose prevention centers, to that list. … [Read more...]
Opioid Overdose Deaths Higher in Certain Occupations
A recent report by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) revealed that there is a significantly higher rate of opioid overdose deaths among workers in occupations and industries that also have high rates of work-related injuries and illnesses, including construction, fishing, and healthcare support. Construction and extraction had the … [Read more...]
