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While there have been some positive trends in the epidemic at the national level, New England, New Jersey's death rate has been rising steadily. Nearly 2,700 overdoses have been confirmed in the first 10 months of this year, according to the state attorney general's office. In 2017, preliminary data show that there were 2,750 overdose-related deaths.
The opioid crisis in New Jersey has become the main focus of Gov. Chris Christie's final year in office and he used his national platform as a presidential candidate to repeatedly call for treatment opioid addiction and prosecuting drug abuse. President Trump also named Mr. Christie as chairman of his commission on the opioid crisis. Besides suing Purdue Pharma, the Christie Administration also sued Insys Therapeutics, an Arizona-based opioid manufacturer.
But the lawsuit announced by Mr. Grewal represents a new front in New Jersey's battle against the scourge of opioids, targeting a company that plays a key role in the state's economy.
New Jersey has a deep and lucrative connection with the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Often referred to as "The Medicine Chest of the World," Pfizer, Merck and Johnson and Johnson. And while some companies have left the state, the industry still accounts for roughly 120,000 jobs, totaling $ 16.5 billion in annual payroll in 2016, or 7.8 percent of the state's total wages.
The lawsuit is similar to other lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies, tracing the evolution of opioids from short-dosing painkillers in the early 1990s.
"The lawsuit says."
It also points to disturbing trends in the prescription. Over the course of a year, one patient has received prescriptions for two opioids, Nucynta and Nucynta ER – more than a 2,700-day supply. The prescriptions were written by a health care provider "who had received hundreds of visits from Janssen sales representatives."
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