End Substance Use Disorder Applauds Jury’s Finding That Teva Pharmaceuticals Is Guilty of Fueling Opioid Overdose Crisis

Today, a New York jury found Teva Pharmaceuticals, an opioid manufacturer and distributor, guilty of flooding the state with prescription painkillers and contributing to thousands of overdose deaths. The jury found that the company’s misleading marketing claims on the addictive risk of opioids and aggressive sales tactics created a public nuisance in the state.

End Substance Use Disorder released the following statement:

“We applaud the jury for finding what the evidence so clearly shows: Pharmaceutical companies placed profit above the safety of our loved ones with a blatant disregard for the law.” said Erin Schanning, president of End Substance Use Disorder. “It is our responsibility to hold these corporate actors accountable for their role in starting and fueling the opioid overdose crisis that has taken the lives of thousands of our family members and friends.”

The court will now determine damages in the next phase of the trial. The case is one of thousands across the country against opioid manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies for imperiling public safety. End Substance Use Disorder has previously spoken out against the proposed settlement agreements with Purdue Pharma and, Johnson & Johnson, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson for not holding the companies full accountable for their role in this tragedy.

End Substance Use Disorder has joined with leading organizations to endorse a set of guiding principles for how states, cities, and counties should use funds received from the opioid litigation. More than 40 million Americans are currently suffering from substance use disorder, and it is vital that the funds from all settlements and litigation related to the overdose crisis be dedicated to prevention, treatment, harm reduction, and recovery supports that are firmly rooted in evidence.