SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Attorney General Bob Ferguson of the U.S. state of Washington on Thursday filed a lawsuit against a multinational drug manufacturer for its role in the opioid epidemic in the state.
Ferguson, who brought the litigation in the state's King County Superior Court, accused Johnson & Johnson, also a major supplier of raw pharmaceutical materials to other opioid manufacturers, of fueling the opioid epidemic in Washington by deceiving doctors and the public into believing their drugs can effectively treat chronic pain.
"Johnson & Johnson deceptively marketed the long-term use of opioids at high doses without documented evidence of their effectiveness, ignoring the well-documented risks of its drugs," Ferguson said in the court complaint.
"Opioids have torn apart Washington families, overburdened our healthcare system and caused an epidemic of addiction we are struggling to contain," he said.
Ferguson asserted that Johnson & Johnson must be held accountable for the damaging results caused by the leading opioid manufacturer, such as the deaths of Washingtonians and devastation to Washington families.
As one of the largest suppliers of the raw materials to other opioid producers, Johnson & Johnson played a unique role in "proliferating opioids" in the United States, including Washington, Ferguson said.
More than 8,000 Washingtonians were killed by opioid overdosing between 2006 and 2017, a figure much higher than the casualties from car accidents or firearms, according to Ferguson's office.
