Attorney General Sues Drug Companies Over Opioid Crisis

Friday, April 20, 2018 | 0

Kentucky has joined a growing list of states suing drug manufacturers because of the opioid addiction crisis.

Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear filed the lawsuit for the state, alleging that pharmaceutical giants Johnson & Johnson, Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals engaged in deceptive marketing that led to widespread addiction to painkillers, The Hill news site reported.

"To make that happen, Janssen and other opioid makers had to turn the standard of care on its head — persuading doctors that drugs they had been unwilling to prescribe because of their risk of addiction were more effective and safe enough to use widely and long-term for relatively minor pain conditions," reads the lawsuit, which was filed in McCracken County Circuit Court. "Patients were exposed to the same reassuring messages."

The lawsuit seeks reimbursement for the state's workers' compensation and Medicaid programs, along with disgorgement of profits, civil penalties and punitive damages. Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Dakota also have sued the drug companies.