Judge Favors Drugmakers in California Opioid Lawsuit

A federal judge in California has handed four drugmakers their first win in the ongoing opioid crisis liability wars, rejecting claims by three counties that the companies created a public nuisance by recklessly promoting their medications.

Los Angeles, Santa Ana and Orange counties lodged the suit against Teva Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) subsidiary Janssen, AbbVie subsidiary Allergan and Endo International in hopes of snagging $50 billion to rebuild police departments and addiction treatment centers.

The case hinged on the counties’ contention that companies pushed the drugs knowing that increases in prescriptions would eventually have negative downstream effects on the communities.

The plaintiffs offered no evidence that false or misleading marketing caused an increase in medically inappropriate prescriptions, said Superior Court Judge Peter Wilson.