A key witnesses for the state ripped into Johnson & Johnson on Thursday, accusing the company of engaging in aggressive and disturbing opioid marketing practices.
“I believe Johnson & Johnson was a major cause of our opioid crisis,” New York City psychiatrist Andrew Kolodny testified Thursday afternoon. “I believe it’s fair to characterize them as the kingpin in our opioid crisis.”
Kolodny’s testimony came on Day 13 of a trial in Cleveland County District Court in which Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries have been accused of creating a public nuisance through false or misleading marketing of opioid painkillers. The state alleges the companies overstated the benefits of opioids while understating their risks, leading to thousands of addictions and overdose deaths.
Kolodny elaborated on his kingpin remark, citing evidence that Noramco – one of Johnson & Johnson’s former subsidiaries – continued to expand the United States’supply of opioid prescription drugs by supplying Johnson & Johnson and other drug manufacturers with increasing amounts of raw materials and the active ingredient for opioids even after addiction rates and overdose deaths had begun to soar.
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