Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson must pay $572m (£468m) for its part in fuelling Oklahoma's opioid addiction crisis, a judge in the US state has ruled. The company said immediately after the judgement that it would appeal. Earlier this year, Oklahoma settled with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma for $270m and Teva Pharmaceutical for $85m, leaving Johnson & Johnson as the lone defendant. The outcome of the case is being closely watched by plaintiffs in about 2,000 opioid lawsuits due to go to trial in Ohio in October, unless the parties can reach a settlement. The company's share price rose following the ruling because investors had been expecting a much bigger fine. Jared Holz, healthcare strategist for financial services company Jefferies, said: "The expectation was this was going to be a $1.5bn to $2bn fine, and $572m is a much lower number than had been feared."
Russell Hotten, 'Opioid crisis: Johnson & Johnson hit by landmark ruling', BBC