Israeli Drugmaker Teva found liable in landmark case related to U.S. opioid crisis

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A New York jury found Israeli Teva Pharmaceutical Industries liable for helping to fuel opioid addiction in the state, with damages to be determined at a later date.

Following Thursday’s decision, which came after more than a week of deliberations, Teva issued a statement saying they “strongly disagree” with the outcome of the six-month trial and are preparing a “swift appeal.”

Meanwhile, New York Attorney General Letitia James called Thursday an “important day” for all those adversely affected by opioids. She said the legal action was just one part of a more extended plan to continue to hold opioid “manufacturers and distributors” accountable.

(Russell Brand: Why are the drug makers who caused the opioid crisis now in charge of solving the pandemic? Watch video)

The lawsuit, brought by the state and two of its counties, accused Teva of using manipulative and deceptive marketing to push more opioids, fueling the addiction crisis that has affected New York and many other parts of the United States.

The judge presiding over the case has yet to rule on a request for a mistrial based on a statistic cited by the prosecution in its closing arguments that was false. Teva shares fell several points less than an hour after the verdict.

The New York lawsuit is a landmark case. It is at the center of a massive legal enterprise to target every part of the opioid supply chain, including manufacturers and distributors.

Suppose this verdict stands and leads to significant damages. In that case, it could put pressure on Teva and other companies to settle the thousands of other lawsuits pending across the country related to opioid addiction rates that skyrocketed in recent years due to a system that overprescribes and insufficiently warns patients about the highly addictive substance.

Other drugmakers were included in the New York lawsuit, including AbbVie, which settled its suit earlier this month for the US$200 million price tag. Teva was the only defendant after the AbbVie settlement.

More than 100,000 people died from a drug overdose between April 2020 and April 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a November report on the ongoing crisis. Officials have said more than 500,000 deaths may have been linked to the opioid crisis over the past two decades.