“They try to say they’re selling legal products. The only problem is: They’re selling them illegally,” said one of the prosecuting lawyers.
A New York jury determined that drugmaker Teva Pharmaceuticals helped contribute to the opioid crisis that rocked the United States. Teva is awaiting a separate trial for sentencing but is already planning to appeal the decision. The company primarily makes generic drugs, although two of their products, Actiq and Fentora, were shown to contain the highly addictive narcotic fentanyl. “The plaintiffs presented no evidence of medically unnecessary prescriptions, suspicious or diverted orders, no evidence of oversupply by the defendants,” the company explained in a statement, “and no causal relationship between Teva’s conduct including its marketing and any harm to the public in the state.” However, the prosecution claims they provided a detailed case as to why Teva helped facilitate the opioid epidemic that has claimed more than 500,000 lives. Specifically, prosecuting lawyers claimed that the marketing for Actiq and Fentora was expanded to claim they treated multiple types of pain instead of the pains caused by cancer, which they were originally approved for.
