NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES AND JOHNSON & JOHNSON AGREE TO SETTLEMENT IN OPIOID LAWSUIT
" Johnson & Johnson Agrees To A $230 Million Settlement In New York State Lawsuit For Opioid Addiction & Deaths."
June 27, 2021 By Art Fletcher & Leo Madison Reporting For: Englebrook Independent News,
ALBANY, NY.- On Saturday, June 26, 2021, Johnson & Johnson has agreed to a $ 230 Million settlement with New York State that bars the company from promoting opioids and confirmed it has ended distribution of such products in The United States.
New York Attorney General Letitia James' Office in a statement on Saturday said the agreement bans Johnson & Johnson from promoting opioids through any means and prohibits lobbing about such products at the Federal, State or Local levels.
Johnson & Johnson has not marketed opioids in the United States since 2015, and the company discontinued the business in 2020.
The settlement follows years of lawsuits by States, Cities, and Counties against major pharmaceutical companies over the opioid crisis, which has killed nearly a half a million people over the past two-decades in the United States.
Governments have argued that companies over-prescribed the drugs, causing people to become addicted and abuse other illegal forms of opioids, while companies have said they've distributed the necessary amount of the product to help people with medical issues.
" The opioid epidemic has wreaked havoc on countless communities across New York State, and the rest of The Nation, leaving millions still addicted to dangerous and deadly opioids," James said in a statement.
" Johnson & Johnson helped fuel this fire, but today they're committing to leaving the opioid business, not only in New York, but across the entire country," she said " opioids will no longer be manufactured or sold in the United States by J & J."
New York Opioid Lawsuit trial against the rest of the defendants will begin this week, according to the release. The other defendants in the New York suit include Purdue Pharma; Mallinckrodt, LLC; Endo Health Solutions; Teva Pharmaceuticals USA and Allergan Finance, LLC.
In a statement Saturday, Johnson & Johnson said the settlement " is not admission of liability or wrongdoing by the company " and is "consistent with the terms of the previously announced $5 Billion all-in settlement agreement in principle for the resolution of the opioid lawsuits and claims by States, Cities, Counties, and Tribal Governments.
FILED UNDER JUNE 27, 2021: NATIONAL, NEW YORK STATE: