Trial opens in West Virginia lawsuit against opioid manufacturers

West Virginia's attorney general urged a judge to hold Johnson & Johnson, Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd., and AbbVie Inc.’s Allergan liable for causing a "tsunami" of opioid addiction in the state, Reuters reports. The request was made during opening arguments April 1 in West Virginia’s lawsuit accusing the drug manufacturers of creating a "public nuisance" by deceiving prescribers about the risks of opioid painkillers.