Chicago, the third-biggest U.S. city, sued Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) and four other drug companies for allegedly pushing consumer use of opioid painkillers, creating addicts and driving up its costs.
“Since 2007, the city has paid for nearly 400,000 claims for opioid prescription fills, costing nearly $9,500,000, and suffered additional damages for the costs of providing and using opiates long-term to treat chronic non-cancer pain,” lawyers for the municipality alleged in a state court complaint filed yesterday in Chicago.
