The last few years have produced an array of legal cases that finally bring pressure to bear on the pharmaceutical industry for its role in the opioid epidemic. From lawsuits brought against pharmaceutical manufacturers to litigation with distributors, every aspect of the pharma network has come under scrutiny. Recently, several pharmacy chains were examined for their role in dispensing overwhelming numbers of addictive opioid painkillers into the public’s hands.

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Many eyes are watching Oklahoma State’s lawsuit against pharmaceutical corporation Johnson & Johnson. The outcome of this trial could set a precedent for the nearly 2,000 other lawsuits filed against pharmaceutical businesses and their executives.

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According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 130 people die from overdoses on opioid drugs every day. Such opioids include pharmaceutical pain relievers, heroin, fentanyl, and synthetic hybrid combinations of different opioid drugs.

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We’ve known for a while that when pharmaceutical manufacturers provide incentives to doctors to prescribe opioids, they prescribe opioids. This isn’t anything new. But according to research just published at JAMA Network Open, there is a direct connection between the payments that drug companies give to opioid prescribers and an increase in overdoses in those prescribers’ communities.

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