A California judge ruled late Monday that four drug companies can't be held liable for fueling widespread opioid addiction in the state. The ruling, issued by Superior Court Judge Peter Wilson in Orange County, was seen as a rare win for drug companies that were fighting years-long litigation claiming they created the opioid epidemic. Even if the drugmakers' marketing contained misleading statements, litigants couldn't hold these companies liable because "any adverse downstream consequences flowing from medically appropriate prescriptions cannot constitute an actionable public nuisance," Reuters reported. Endo's lawyer said the ruling showed the drugmakers' "lawful conduct did not cause the widespread public nuisance at issue in plaintiffs' complaint." Lawyers for the local governments in California said they will request that an appeals court review the ruling.

Source: Fox News November 02, 2021 17:08 UTC