The New Jersey Attorney General's office is suing Janssen Pharmaceuticals, alleging the company deceived consumers about the dangers of its opioid painkillers. It’s the first such case brought by the Office against a pharmaceutical company based in New Jersey.
“We allege that Janssen masterminded a public relations campaign to undermine accepted medical practices. It used a network of sales representatives to push it’s misleading marketing. It quietly funded front organizations that peddled it’s bogus theories,” said NJ Attorney General Gurbir Grewal.
Janssen sold the rights to its opioid drugs Nucynta and Nucynta ER in 2015, but Grewal says the complaint stems from a lengthy investigation into the company’s marketing practices.
“Including evidence found in internal company documents. Documents that were never previously made public. Court rules required us to black out this information.”
Grewal is calling on the company to allow the public access to the full, unredacted documents.
“We’re seeking a judgement requiring Janssen to pay the public for a crisis it helped to cause. And we are demanding that the company pay civil penalties and disgorge it’s ill-gotten gains," Grewal said.
In a written statement, Janssen Pharmaceuticals addresses opioids as a serious public health issue and says the state’s claims are baseless.