Johnson & Johnson stands trial for the opioid crisis

“OVERSUPPLY AND people will die.” That evocative line was at the heart of the opening argument laid out in a courtroom in Oklahoma on May 28th. Mike Hunter, the state’s attorney-general, accused Johnson & Johnson (J&J), a pharmaceutical giant, of misleading doctors and patients about the dangers of opioids, prescription medicines used to treat severe pain. After a heart-wrenching description of addicted patients and the plight of babies with neonatal opioid syndrome, Mr Hunter asked, “How did this happen? I have a short, one-word answer: greed.”