Sanofi’s Efdoralprin Alfa Gains EMA Orphan Status for Rare Lung Disease 
Trump Signs Executive Order to Boost AI Research in Childhood Cancer 
FDA Pilot Program Eases Rules for Nicotine Pouch Makers 
Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly Cut Obesity Drug Prices in China as Competition Intensifies 
Ancient Mars may have had a carbon cycle − a new study suggests the red planet may have once been warmer, wetter and more favorable for life 
NASA and Roscosmos Chiefs Meet in Florida to Discuss Moon and ISS Cooperation 
Astronomers have discovered another puzzling interstellar object − this third one is big, bright and fast 
SpaceX’s Starship Completes 11th Test Flight, Paving Way for Moon and Mars Missions 
Neuralink Expands Brain Implant Trials with 12 Global Patients 
Viking Therapeutics Sees Growing Strategic Interest in $150 Billion Weight-Loss Drug Market 
U.S. and Rwanda Sign $228 Million Health Partnership to Boost Self-Reliance 
Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment 
It’s no secret that the U.S. is now experiencing an Opioid crisis, with coverage of the issue even making international headlines. The fact that pharmaceutical companies don’t appear to be too bothered by the harm that its legal drugs are causing is also well-known. Now, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is giving these companies cause to be concerned with a major lawsuit.
According to the lawsuit, Mayor de Blasio is holding Big Pharma directly responsible for fueling the Opioid crisis, the New York Times reports. This is not the first time that the mayor of NYC is taking legal action against an entire industry, either, since he is also suing Big Oil for its huge role in making climate change the global threat that it is today.
In any case, the legal document pins many of the underlying problems that allowed the Opioid crisis to grow as much as it had on the companies making these drugs. Among the accusations that the lawsuit makes is the misrepresentation of these products as well as encouraging distributors to absolutely flood target cities with opioids.
The companies named in the lawsuit include Purdue Pharma, Teva, Cephalon, Johnson & Johnson, Janssen, Endo, Allergan, and Watson, which is a mix of both manufacturers and distributors. This isn’t the first time that a city actually sued entire industries over the harm that they caused with their products, either.
As Futurism reports, other cities and states have already taken legal action against Big Pharma. There are also examples in recent history that could play a role in how these procedures will go. In the 90s, for example, the tobacco industry was forced to make changes to how it markets its products following the 1998 Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement. If the NYC and other cities’ lawsuits pan out, the same changes could be seen in the pharmaceutical industry.
