New York Jury Finds Teva Pharmaceutical Liable of Role In Opioid Crisis

A New York jury recently found Teva Pharmaceutical USA Inc. guilty of playing a role in the opioid crisis that took the lives of over 500,000 people in the last two decades. A report by the Ganjapreneur stated that the Suffolk County, New York jury found the drug company liable for playing a part in the region’s opioid crisis by misleading the public. 

In a recent press release, New York Attorney General Letitia James explains that the drug maker, among other affiliates, misled the public about the dangers of the opioid medication it manufactures. For this reason, the Supreme Court jury found the firm responsible for the death and destruction inflicted on the American people. 

James had previously filed the nation’s most extensive lawsuit in 2019 to hold every opioid manufacturer accountable for damages they inflict on people. In the suit, she described how the drug manufacturers collaborated to downplay the harmful effects of opioid addiction from powerful substances like fentanyl, which Teva uses to fabricate its medication. 

Following the verdict, the court will hold a subsequent trial to determine how much Teva Pharmaceuticals will have to pay. The Attorney General has planned to add Teva’s payment to the $1.5 billion already collected from previous lawsuit settlements against opioid manufacturers. While the court also charged other opioid-based drug manufacturers, Teva was the only manufacturing defendant left in the suit.

Teva Pharmaceutical USA, an arm of the Israeli Pharma firm, recently made its debut in the medical cannabis space after making a distribution deal with Cannbit-Tikun Olam. In the agreement, Cannbit-Tikun Olam would create cannabinoid-based oils picked by Teva and distributed under a new joint brand. Although studies have shown that cannabis consumption using dab pens or other methods can lower the risk of opioid addiction, it won’t seem to help Teva in its current situation. 

Even so, following the verdict, Teva has issued a statement saying that it strongly disagrees with the court’s decision. The firm also points out that the plaintiff had presented no evidence showing medically unnecessary prescriptions or any indication of the appropriate volumes. The company also stated that a California court declared it did not cause a public nuisance or make false or misleading statements about marketing prescription opioids in California.