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New Jersey AG Suit EOD Media Update - 11/13/18
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New Jersey Sues Pharmaceutical Company Amid Spiraling Opioid Crisis
Nov 13, 2018 | New York Times
By Nick Corasaniti
New Jersey officials, taking on one of the state’s core industries, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson that manufactures opioids, accusing the pharmaceutical company of misleading patients about the addictive dangers posed by its drugs. -
Grewal files suit against J&J subsidiary, alleging false marketing of opioids
Nov 13, 2018 | POLITICO PRO
By Sam Sutton
Attorney General Gurbir Grewal filed a lawsuit today against Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals, alleging the New Jersey-based company falsely marketed two of its opioid products. -
Murphy's AG sues N.J. pharma giant for 'fueling' opioid crisis
Nov 13, 2018 | NJ.com
By S.P. Sullivan
State authorities on Tuesday accused a subsidiary of New Jersey pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson of using "deceptive marketing" to boost profits by playing down the risks of highly-addictive painkillers. -
Opioid epidemic: New Jersey sues Johnson & Johnson subsidiary for deceptive marketing
Nov 13, 2018 | North Jersey.com
By Lindy Washburn
New Jersey has filed suit against a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, alleging deceptive marketing in the sale of opioid painkillers — drugs that officials said have contributed to an overdose epidemic that has claimed more than 2,600 lives in the state this year. -
Grewal announces N.J. is suing J&J subsidiary Janssen over opioids
Nov 13, 2018 | ROI - New Jersey
By Anjalee Khemlani
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced Tuesday that the state is suing a subsidiary of one of its largest pharmaceutical companies in connection with the opioid epidemic. -
AG sues J&J subsidiary for practices related to opioid products
Nov 13, 2018 | NJ BIZ
By Anthony Vecchione
The state of New Jersey has filed a five-count lawsuit against Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, for deceiving consumers about the dangers of two of its opioid products with high potential for abuse – Nucynta and Nucynta ER, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said Tuesday. -
NJ sues drug company Janssen, alleging it deceived the public about opioids
Nov 13, 2018 | The Philadelphia Inquirer
By Rita Giordano
The State of New Jersey announced Tuesday that it has filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., alleging the company deceived the public about the dangers of two of its opioid products, including their potential for abuse and dependency. -
NJ Sues J & J Subsidiary Janssen Over ‘Scheme To Deceive Doctors And Patients’ About Opioids
Nov 13, 2018 | CBS New York
By Staff
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson which manufactures opioids, claiming the company fueled a public health crisis and mislead patients about the dangers of the drugs. -
WABC News
Nov 13, 2018 | New York, NY
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Nov 13, 2018 | New York, NY
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Nov 13, 2018 | New York, NY
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Nov 13, 2018 | New York, NY
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Nov 13, 2018 | New York, NY
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New Jersey Sues Pharmaceutical Company Amid Spiraling Opioid Crisis
Nov 13, 2018 | New York Times
By Nick Corasaniti
New Jersey officials, taking on one of the state’s core industries, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson that manufactures opioids, accusing the pharmaceutical company of misleading patients about the addictive dangers posed by its drugs.
It was the first time that New Jersey has brought legal action against a company based in the state as it struggles to contain a spiraling opioid addiction crisis. And it comes at a time when state attorneys general across the country have intensified their efforts to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for the epidemics of abuse.
Gurbir Grewal, the New Jersey attorney general, said the subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, minimized the risks of opioid addiction in its marketing messages, targeted older people and other patients with little knowledge of opioids and mounted a campaign to “embed its deceptions about the viability of long-term opioid use in the minds of doctors and patients.”
“It is particularly disturbing that so much of this misconduct took place in our own backyard,” Mr. Grewal added in a statement. “New Jersey’s pharmaceutical industry is the envy of the world, with a long history of developing vital, lifesaving drugs. But we cannot turn a blind eye when a New Jersey company violates the law and threatens the lives of our residents.”
In the absence of any significant federal action to stem the opioid epidemic, states have been leading the charge to grapple with a health crisis that has yet to be contained. In 2017, there were more than 72,000 overdose deaths in the country from opioids, a 10 percent rise from the previous year.
More than 40 state attorneys general have joined New York state in a multiyear, wide-ranging investigation of manufacturers and distributors of opioids. Eleven states, including New Jersey, have filed separate lawsuits against Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, a popular opioid painkiller.
“It became a state issue because there wasn’t a lot of movement on the federal level,” said Lewis S. Nelson, the chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Rutgers University. “To this date, the federal government hasn’t been very effective at regulating the practices of these pharmaceutical companies.”
In addition to the human toll, the opioid crisis has also imposed a significant financial burden that has been largely shouldered by states, Mr. Lewis said, including paying for hospital bills, drug courts and emergency response.
In New Jersey, the state also pays for opioids through public employee health plans, according to the lawsuit.
While there have been some positive trends in the opioid epidemics at the national level, including a drop in the number of overdose deaths in parts of New England, New Jersey’s death rate has been rising steadily. Nearly 2,700 overdose deaths have been confirmed in the first 10 months of this year, according to data collected by the state attorney general’s office. In 2017, preliminary data show that there were 2,750 overdose-related deaths.
The opioid crisis in New Jersey became the main focus of Gov. Chris Christie’s final year in office and he used his national platform as a presidential candidate to repeatedly call for reforms on treating opioid addiction and prosecuting drug abusers. President Trump also named Mr. Christie as chairman of his commission on the opioid crisis. Besides suing Purdue Pharma, the Christie administration also sued Insys Therapeutics, an Arizona-based opioid manufacturer.
But the lawsuit announced by Mr. Grewal represents a new front in New Jersey’s battle against the scourge of opioids, targeting a company that plays a key role in the state’s economy.
New Jersey has a deep and lucrative connection with the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Often referred to as “The Medicine Chest of the World,” New Jersey was once home to many major pharmaceutical manufacturers, such as Pfizer, Merck and Johnson and Johnson. And while some companies have left the state, the industry still accounts for roughly 120,000 jobs, totaling $16.5 billion in annual payroll in 2016, or 7.8 percent of the state’s total wages.
The lawsuit is similar to other lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies, tracing the evolution of opioids from short-dosage painkillers in the early 1990s to drugs whose effects are more long term.
“Janssen joined the wave of opioid manufacturers working to persuade health care providers and patients — including the elderly and opioid-naïve — that pain had been widely and improperly under-treated, and that opioid pain medications were the answer,” the lawsuit says.
It also points to disturbing trends in the prescription. Over the course of a year, one patient on a state health care plan received 125 prescriptions for two opioids, Nucynta and Nucynta ER — more than a 2,700-day supply. The prescriptions were written by a health care provider “who had received hundreds of visits from Janssen sales representatives.”
The mounting legal campaigns against pharmaceutical companies, Mr. Lewis said, highlights how complicit many believe they are for the crisis.
“Everybody on opioids for more than a couple of weeks is dependent, only about five to 10 percent of people develop addiction,” said Mr. Lewis. “But remember, five to 10 percent of millions and millions of people is a lot of people. So, that’s what the state attorneys general are really fighting against. They’re fighting against the fact that all of these companies put out marketing and misinformation that these drugs don’t cause addiction, don’t cause dependence, don’t lead to abuse.”
“In reality,” Mr. Lewis added. “Lots and lots of people died using the drugs as directed.”
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Grewal files suit against J&J subsidiary, alleging false marketing of opioids
Nov 13, 2018 | POLITICO PRO
By Sam Sutton
Attorney General Gurbir Grewal filed a lawsuit today against Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals, alleging the New Jersey-based company falsely marketed two of its opioid products.
Grewal said in a statement that Janssen minimized the risks of opioids and sought to depict two of its opioid products, Nucynta and Nucynta ER, as "safer, milder, and less addictive" than other prescription drugs. Janssen also fronted an unbranded marketing campaign that claimed opioids are rarely addictive when used as prescribed, according to Grewal's office.
Portions of the state's complaint were redacted, including allegations the company tailored marketing efforts toward elderly and "opioid-naive" patients. Those parts of the complaint were deemed confidential trade secrets by Janssen, according to Grewal.
The lawsuit was filed in state Superior Court in Mercer County.
"Janssen helped fuel a public health crisis unlike any other our state has faced," Grewal said in his statement. "The public has a right to know about Janssen's efforts to mislead healthcare providers and patients, and we will fight any effort to keep today's filing hidden from view. Janssen's conduct was illegal, and details about it should not be kept confidential."
While opioid prescriptions are believed to be falling across the state, New Jersey is on pace to lose a record 3,000 residents to opioid-related overdoses in 2018.
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Murphy's AG sues N.J. pharma giant for 'fueling' opioid crisis
Nov 13, 2018 | NJ.com
By S.P. Sullivan
State authorities on Tuesday accused a subsidiary of New Jersey pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson of using "deceptive marketing" to boost profits by playing down the risks of highly-addictive painkillers.
In a lengthy lawsuit filed in state Superior Court, New Jersey's attorney general contended Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. violated the state's Consumer Fraud Act and fueled the opioid addiction crisis.
The move marks the third time the state has accused a drugmaker of breaking the law in order to sell opioid painkillers as authorities grapple with spiraling numbers of overdose deaths.
"It is particularly disturbing that so much of this misconduct took place in our own backyard," said Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, who announced the suit during a Newark press conference.
A representative for the New Brunswick-based Johnson & Johnson could not immediately be reached for comment.
"New Jersey's pharmaceutical industry is the envy of the world, with a long history of developing vital, life-saving drugs," the attorney general said. "But we cannot turn a blind eye when a New Jersey company violates the law and threatens the lives of our residents."
Authorities say the 97-page lawsuit is based on internal documents the Attorney General's Office took from the company during an investigation into its business practices going back to the early 1990s.
The allegations concern Janssen's marketing campaign two products, Nucynta and Nucynta ER. Authorities claim the company deceived patients by presenting the medicines as "safer, milder, and less addictive" than competitor painkillers.
Janssen is also accused of using an "unbranded marketing campaign" to create websites and documents designed to look independent that claimed to "debunk" myths about painkillers.
"Many studies show that opioids are rarely addictive when used properly for the management of chronic pain," one brochure claimed, according to the lawsuit.
Portions of the lawsuit were redacted because the company claimed they described confidential information. State authorities said they would ask a judge to make the entire document public.
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Opioid epidemic: New Jersey sues Johnson & Johnson subsidiary for deceptive marketing
Nov 13, 2018 | North Jersey.com
By Lindy Washburn
New Jersey has filed suit against a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, alleging deceptive marketing in the sale of opioid painkillers — drugs that officials said have contributed to an overdose epidemic that has claimed more than 2,600 lives in the state this year.
The lawsuit against Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the third filed by the state against an opioid manufacturer and the first against a pharmaceutical company headquartered in New Jersey.
"We'll hold everyone accountable no matter who they are or where they operate," New Jersey's attorney general, Gurbir S. Grewal, said at a news conference in Newark. Johnson & Johnson was not named in the lawsuit, but Grewal did not rule out including the company if it was "aware of or involved in" the marketing practices.
Janssen marketed two products, Nucynta and Nucynta ER. for eight years, from 2010 to 2017, and sold the rights to the products in 2015 for more than $1 billion, the attorney general said.
The lawsuit alleges that the company minimized the risks of opioids in general, and tried to make its products seem safer, milder and less addictive than other prescription opioids. The company also created sham organizations and websites, hiding its involvement to promote its products, he said.
Of particular concern was the company's targeting of the elderly and people who had not used opioids before in an effort to expand its market share, the lawsuit said.
New Jersey has had 2,690 deaths from opioid overdoses this year, as of Nov. 4, according to statistics kept by the Attorney General's office. That already is 90 more deaths than in all of last year.
This is the third lawsuit the state has filed against a manufacturer of opioid pain medication. Last October, the administration of former Gov. Chris Chrstie sued Insys Therapeutics for broadly marketing its prescription opioid-fentanyl medication, Subsys, to a larger audience than its approval from the federal Food and Drug Administration allowed.
And in November, the state sued Purdue Pharma LP, the drug-making giant that produces Oxycontin.
Overdose deaths from opioids, including prescription opioids and heroin, have increased more than fivefold since 1999. Overdoses involving opioids killed more than 42,000 people in 2016, and 40 percent of those deaths were from prescription opioids.
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Grewal announces N.J. is suing J&J subsidiary Janssen over opioids
Nov 13, 2018 | ROI - New Jersey
By Anjalee Khemlani
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced Tuesday that the state is suing a subsidiary of one of its largest pharmaceutical companies in connection with the opioid epidemic.
The 97-page suit against Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, puts the state in the company of others like Kentucky and Texas, which have already sued Janssen and other opioid makers.
“Janssen helped fuel a public health crisis unlike any other our state has faced,” Grewal said in a statement.
“The public has a right to know about Janssen’s efforts to mislead health care providers and patients, and we will fight any effort to keep today’s filing hidden from view. Janssen’s conduct was illegal, and details about it should not be kept confidential.”
Grewal acknowledged the company’s impact on the state’s economy.
In a tweet, Grewal said: “One of the most troubling aspects of the allegations against Janssen Pharmaceuticals is how much of the illegal conduct took place in our own back yard. New Jersey may be the pharma capital of the world, but we refuse to turn a blind eye when a major corporation harms our residents.”
The complaint is based in part on internal company documents, which Grewal is additionally calling on Janssen to release unredacted.
“We intend to hold Janssen accountable for its deception, and to make the company pay for the public health crisis it helped to create,” Grewal said.
Calls to Janssen for comment were not immediately returned.
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AG sues J&J subsidiary for practices related to opioid products
Nov 13, 2018 | NJ BIZ
By Anthony Vecchione
The state of New Jersey has filed a five-count lawsuit against Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, for deceiving consumers about the dangers of two of its opioid products with high potential for abuse – Nucynta and Nucynta ER, Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said Tuesday.
The lawsuit is the third case brought by the AG’s office against an opioid manufacturer, and the first such case it has brought against a pharmaceutical company based in New Jersey. Johnson & Johnson is headquartered in New Brunswick.
The 97-page complaint, the AG’s office said in a release, is based in part on internal company documents it obtained during a lengthy investigation into Janssen’s marketing practices. A redacted complaint has been filed with the court.
“Janssen helped fuel a public health crisis unlike any other our state has faced,” Grewal said in a statement. “The public has a right to know about Janssen’s efforts to mislead health care providers and patients, and we will fight any effort to keep today’s filing hidden from view. Janssen’s conduct was illegal and details about it should not be kept confidential.”
The suit charges violations of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act, New Jersey False Claims Act and common-law prohibition against creation of a public nuisance. It seeks a judgment requiring Janssen “pay civil penalties, disgorge its ill-gotten gains and pay damages for false claims submitted to the State.”
In addition, the suit seeks an order requiring Janssen halt all unlawful practices under the Consumer Fraud Act, correct its misrepresentations and “abate the public nuisance that its deceptive marketing has been a substantial factor in creating.”
The suit also blames the marketing of Nucynta and Nucynta ER for “dramatically” increased health insurance costs absorbed by the state and, ultimately, the taxpayers through false claims for chronic opioid therapy.
In response to the suit, Janssen issued a statement saying its “actions in the marketing and promotion of these medicines were appropriate and responsible.”
“The labels for our prescription opioid pain medicines provide information about their risks and benefits, and the allegations made against our company are baseless and unsubstantiated,” the Janssen statement continued. “In fact, our medications have some of the lowest rates of abuse among this class of medications. Opioid abuse and addiction are serious public health issues. We are committed to being part of the ongoing dialogue and to doing our part to find ways to address this crisis.”
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NJ sues drug company Janssen, alleging it deceived the public about opioids
Nov 13, 2018 | The Philadelphia Inquirer
By Rita Giordano
The State of New Jersey announced Tuesday that it has filed a lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., alleging the company deceived the public about the dangers of two of its opioid products, including their potential for abuse and dependency.
The state alleges that Janssen's marketing campaign for its products Nucynta and Nucynta ER minimized the risk of opioids, promoted the products as less addictive than other opioids, and targeted the elderly and other "opioid naïve" patients to expand the company's market.
"Janssen helped fuel a public health crisis unlike any other our state has faced," said Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. "The public has a right to know about Janssen's efforts to mislead health-care providers and patients, and we will fight any effort to keep today's filing hidden from view."
In a company statement, Janssen denied wrongdoing.
"Our actions in the marketing and promotion of these medicines were appropriate and responsible," the statement says. "The labels for our prescription opioid pain medicines provide information about their risks and benefits, and the allegations made against our company are baseless and unsubstantiated."
New Jersey's complaint also alleges that the company created literature and web content that were designed to appear independent and health-supportive but were actually no more than marketing fronts. The state's lawsuit, filed in Superior Court in Mercer County, blames Janssen's marketing for substantially increasing health-insurance costs that were absorbed by the state and, ultimately, New Jersey taxpayers.
The suit is New Jersey's third court action against an opioid manufacturer, and the first case it has brought against a pharmaceutical company based in New Jersey.
The complaint claims that Janssen, which the state says sold its license rights to the two products in question for more than $1 billion in 2015, and other opioid manufacturers managed to change the medical and public perception of the highly addictive drugs. They went from treatments for acute pain and end-of-life care to long-term treatment of chronic pain, according to the state.
Around the country, state and local governments — including Philadelphia, Pennsylvania suburban counties, and Camden County — have filed lawsuits against the companies that manufactured the opioid products that helped fuel a national epidemic.
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NJ Sues J & J Subsidiary Janssen Over ‘Scheme To Deceive Doctors And Patients’ About Opioids
Nov 13, 2018 | CBS New York
By Staff
New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson which manufactures opioids, claiming the company fueled a public health crisis and mislead patients about the dangers of the drugs.
Grewal detailed a five-count lawsuit filed against Janssen Pharmaceuticals. The state says Janssen aggressively and deceptively marketed its prescription opioid products, knowing full-well that they carried a high risk of addiction and abuse.
“Our lawsuit details a years-long scheme designed to deceive doctors and patients about two of the company’s opioid products,” Grewal said. “As the complaint makes clear, Janssen went to great lengths to mislead the public.”
The attorney general alleges the following of Janssen:masterminded a public relations campaign to undermine accepted medical practicesused a network of sales representatives to push its misleading marketingquietly funded front organizations that peddled bogus medical theories
“It even went so far as targeting elderly nursing home and hospital patients with its misinformation,” Grewal alleged.
In a statement, Janssen said “the marketing and promotion of these products was responsible.”
“The labels for our prescription opioid pain medicines provide information about their risks and benefits,” the company continued. “The allegations made against our company are baseless and unsubstantiated.”
Tuesday’s lawsuit is the third case brought by the attorney general against an opioid manufacturer, but the first against a pharmaceutical company based in New Jersey. The state is seeking reimbursements and civil penalties.
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Nov 13, 2018 | New York, NY
By WABC (Radio)
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Rough Transcript: happening right now in new jersey attorney general ger beard grave all is announcing a lawsuit against janssen pharmaceuticals a hoe only owned subsidiary of johnson and johnson lawsuit claims the company fueled the opioid crisis in new jersey
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Nov 13, 2018 | New York, NY
By WMBC
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Rough Transcript: Welcome to wmbc news tonight.i'm k.c. lopez. a bs pkg state action ag opioidááá we begin tonight with a first of its kind lawsuit here in new jersey. attorneygeneral announced a lawsuit filed against a pharmaceutical company, accusing it of misleading patients about the state of new jersey is suing a pharmaceutical company for allegedly contributing to the opioid epidemic. attorney general gurbir grewal announced today that the state has filed a five count lawsuit against janssen pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of johnson & johnson. the 97 page complaint, based in part on internal company documents, alleges janssen participated in deception when marketing their opioid products, nucynta and nucynta er. attorney general grewal alleges janssen attempted to differentiate its own opioids from competitors' products by saying nycynta and nucynta er were safer, milder and less addictive. we allege that janssen masterminded aublic relations campaign to undermine accepted medical practices. it used a network of sales representatives to push its misleading marketing. it quietly funded front organizations that peddled its bogus medical theories and it even went so far as targeting elderly nursing home and hospital patients with its misinformation. janssen launched nucynta in late 2008 and nucynta er in 2011. the complaint alleged janssen sought, quote "t capitalize on and perpetuate ... deceptions about prescripti opioids, including that the benefits of opioids for long-term use for moderate pain conditions significantly outweighed the risks" end quote janssen sold its u.s. license rights for nucynta and nucynta er for a reported 1.05 billion dollars in 2015. we're seeking a judgment 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 its ill-gotten gains. today's announcement comes at a time when new jersey is on pace for more than three thousand opioid related deaths this year. if you violate our laws, if you illegally push opioids for profit we will hold you accountable no matter who you are and no matter where you operate. we'll hold you accountable whether you' the law on a street corner, in an exam room or in the corner office. janssen is the third pharmaceutical company the attorney general's office has filed suit against. janssen did not have an immediate response to today's court filing.
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Nov 13, 2018 | New York, NY
By WCBS (CBS)
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Rough Transcript: new jersey attorney filed a subsidiary deal. >> fuelling a public health crisis and misleading patients about the dangers of the drugs. cbs 2 's dick brenan has more. >> new jersey attorney general. januaryson a subsidiary of johnson and johnson the state says janson deceptively marketed its prescription opioid products knowing full well they carried a high risk for addiction and abuse. >> a year's long scheme designed to deceive doctors and patients about two of the company's opioid products. nusenta and nusenta er. >> janson wnt to great lengths in its efforts to mislead the public. >> janson master minded a public campaign. a medical practice that it used a network of sales representatives to push its misleading marketed and pedalled bogus medical theories. >> and it even went so far as targeting nursing home and elderly patients with its misinformation. >> the marketing and pro motion of these products was responsible. they say the labels for our prescription opioid pain medicines provide information about their risks and benefits and that the allegations made against our company are baseless and unsubstantiated. >> now today's lawsuit is the third case brought by the attorney general against an opioid manufacturer. but the first against a pharmaceutical company based in new jersey. the state is seeking reimbursement and civil penalties from janson.
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Nov 13, 2018 | New York, NY
By WNBC (NBC)
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Rough Transcript: there's a battle over opioids, a company in new jersey being investigated for marketing and sales of one specific drug. some say the company's practices were deceptive. news 4's brian thompson brings us all sides. >> reporter: the battle over opioids targeting a home state company, jansen pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of johnson & johnson. >> they pushed bogus theories, things that are did he bunked. >> they had sales and marketing deception. this online explanation noting that it can cause death when taken in high doses. at this news conference, attorney general noting one patient received more than 7.5 years worth of pills over the course of just one year. >> jansen's focus was always -- >> paul rodriguez, jansen's statement this afternoon that their marketing and promotion was appropriate and responsible, then calling the allegations baseless and unsubstantiated and claiming their medications have some of the lowest rates of abuse among opioids. newark filed a lawsuit against raritan-based jansen. gray wall says more could be coming from the state. >> our investigations are ongoing into different manufacturers. >> the state does lock away street drug dealers and doctors who overprescribe. when asked why not big pharma execs. he cited the statute of limitations and in other states there have been criminal prosecutions of those executives.
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NJTV News With Mary Alice Williams at 5PM
Nov 13, 2018 | New York, NY
By WNET (PBS)
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Rough Transcript: >>> hello. thank you for joining us. we start with a lawsuit that strikes at the heart of big pharma. the state is suing eight johnson & johnson simcity area for allegedly using deception to push a powerful opioid on the public, including the elderly, fueling the drug addiction crisis. >> reporter: the state attorney general's office has sued two opioid manufacturers this year but never one based in new jersey. that changed today when the ag filed a 97 page complaint against a pharmaceutical company, a subsidiary of johnson & johnson. >> for years, janssen aggressively and deceptively marketed its prescription opioid products to the people of new jersey. they knew full well that its products carried a high risk for addiction and abuse.>> reporter: he said over an eight- year period, they marketed two pain refills -- relievers as safer than other opioids like oxycontin and fentanyl. he said the company paid doctors to give speeches and testimonials for the drugs relative safety when in fact the company knew that its product was just as addictive as other opioid painkillers. he issued a warning -- >> imac message is clear. if you violate our laws and illegally push opioids for profit, we will hold you accountable, no matter who you are and no matter where you operate. >> reporter: the complaint is civil not clinical -- criminal. that state is seeking restitution and damages. janssen sold its rights to the drug company in 2015 for $1 billion so the action is aimed at punishing the company for past behavior. in one of its marketing materials, according to the lawsuit, janssen wrote that many studies show that opioids are really addictive -- rarely addictive when used properly. >> reporter: janssen's representatives promoted the drugs as safer, milder, and less addictive can -- then competitor opioids. but janssen's statements were unsupportive and misleading. >> they funded bogus research. they pushed bogus theories like pseudo-addiction. they positioned these drugs as a safer alternative to other more powerful opioid drugs. >> reporter: janssen did not respond to a request for comment. the lawsuit was filed this morning. company records are included in the complaint but are redacted in places. the ag is asking the judge and the company to unredacted those portions for the sake of transparency. before today, the ag's and assessor had filed lawsuits against other drug companies.>> reporter: -- >> the parent company, johnson and johnson, was not named in the lawsuit. but the ag says if he learns they were part of the fraud, he will go after them to.>>>
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