J&J Labeled ‘Kingpin’ of U.S. Opioid Drug Epidemic by Oklahoma
- State attorney general seeks to unseal documents for May trial
- Records involve opium poppy-growing unit J&J owned until 2016
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Johnson & Johnson was at the center of the burgeoning opioid-addiction crisis in America, operating like a drug kingpin by selling its version of the powerful painkiller as well as the active ingredient, according to newly unsealed court filings.
J&J, through subsidiaries based in Tasmania, grew opium poppies used in its Nucynta medication and sold to other drugmakers for use in their opioid-based products, court filings in Oklahoma show. The New Brunswick, New Jersey-based company also wrongfully targeted children and the elderly in its marketing, the state contends.