New York jury holds drug firm Teva liable in opioid crisis

NEW YORK (AP) — A jury held Teva Pharmaceuticals responsible for contributing to the opioid crisis, delivering one of few verdicts so far among thousands of lawsuits nationwide over the painkillers, New York's attorney general said Thursday.

Attorney General Letitia James’ office said the Suffolk County jury found the drug company played a role in furthering what is legally termed a public nuisance but had lethal consequences — an opioid use epidemic linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. in the past two decades.

“Teva Pharmaceuticals USA and others misled the American people about the true dangers of opioids," James, a Democrat, said in a news release. “Today, we took a significant step in righting the wrongs this country has collectively experienced over the last two decades.”

Messages seeking comment were sent to a lawyer for Teva and to the judge's staff.

A separate trial will follow to determine what penalty Teva will face, James said.

Around the country, state and local governments, Native American tribes, unions, school districts and others have taken on the drug industry in lawsuits over the powerful painkillers.

New York's lawsuit, filed in 2019, targeted several opioid producers and distributors, companies that buy medications in bulk and sell them to pharmacies. Among the defendants were OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and members of the billionaire family that controls it.

The suit accused drug companies of breaching their legal duties “to profiteer from the plague they knew would be unleashed.” The state said that drug manufacturers collaborated to mislead people and downplay the serious risks of opioid addiction, and that drug distributors skirted systems meant to limit orders for painkillers.

New York said the companies' conduct cost the state...