NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York state filed civil charges on Thursday accusing Johnson & Johnson
Governor Andrew Cuomo said the charges by New York’s Department of Financial Services in that regulator’s opioid industry probe follow charges against Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd
Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals affiliate were accused of specifically targeting elderly patients for opioid treatment despite the risks, and in marketing materials characterizing opioid addiction as a myth.
“Misrepresentation of opioids to consumers for profit is inexcusable,” Cuomo said in a statement.
Johnson & Johnson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
New York said Johnson & Johnson manufactured opioid products in the state such as the fentanyl patch Duragesic and drug Nucynta, and said its “Norman Poppy” was once responsible for as much as 80% of the global supply for oxycodone raw materials.
The New Brunswick, New Jersey-based company was charged with violating two New York insurance laws, with civil penalties of up to $5,000 per violation.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
