Jonhson & Johnson must pay millionaire fine
The company will have to disburse about 572.1 million dollars for the health crisis caused by addiction to opioid use
The American multinational Johnson & Johnson (J&J) was sentenced in Oklahoma to pay $ 572.1 million for its role in the health crisis for addiction to opioid use, although the US manufacturer of pharmaceutical and personal hygiene products has announced that will appeal the sentence.
For their part, pharmaceutical companies Purdue Pharma and Teva had previously reached out-of-court settlements amounting to 270 million dollars and 85 million dollars, respectively, to avoid the trial.
In his sentence, the Cleveland County District Judge, Thad Balkmam, considers that the defendants “took part in the deceptive marketing of their drugs and opiates in general,” adding that the crisis generated by addiction to these substances represents “a imminent danger and a threat”.
According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, opioid use was related to 400,000 overdose deaths in the US. between 1999 and 2017. Since 2000, about 6,000 people died from this cause in Oklahoma, according to data from state authorities.
“The decision in this case is wrong”, J&J said in a statement, given that the State did not present evidence that the company’s products or actions caused the inconvenience, in addition to considering that the State’s claims violate the fundamental principles of the process when trying to hold a company accountable for behaviors permitted by federal laws and regulations.
K. Tovar
Source: CNN
