The first major test of whether states can hold drugmakers accountable for the opioid crisis is headed to an Oklahoma courtroom, the Wall Street Journal reported. In a trial starting today, lawyers for Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter will argue that the marketing practices of Johnson & Johnson are to blame for widespread drug addiction that has devastated the state. The case is the first to go to trial of around 2,000 lawsuits brought by states, local municipalities and Native American tribes against pharmaceutical companies over their alleged role in fueling the opioid epidemic. The outcome is likely to help shape the sprawling litigation nationwide, as both sides look for a win to use as leverage in broader settlement talks. Hanging over the trial will be the absence of a company that initially formed the crux of the state’s case: OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP. The company and its owners, the Sacklers, agreed in March to pay $270 million to settle the claims and avoid trial.
