A landmark ruling by a judge in Oklahoma, USA, awarded the state record damages of $572m (£468m) from the manufacturer of synthetic opioids like oxycodone and fentanyl patches, Johnson & Johnson (J&J). With an estimated half a million Britons now hooked on synthetic opioids too, Weightmans' Richard Burrows explores the potential for litigation in the UK.
Opioids
Synthetic opioids are now widely regarded to be the root cause of an epidemic of painkiller addiction in the USA. It has cost thousands lives, at an increasing rate since recent attempts to tighten prescription policies has pushed addicts onto illegal narcotics, like heroin, and had a hugely detrimental impact on families and entire communities.
The attorney generals of states, local governments and Native American tribes are concentrating their efforts on pursuing manufacturers, distributors and even retailers like Walmart as the targets of litigation. The Oklahoma ruling will have emboldened many others across the US and has sparked speculation this side of the Atlantic that a wave of litigation may come crashing over the pharmaceutical industry here.