New Jersey officials filed a lawsuit against a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson that manufactures opioids. The officials accused the pharmaceutical company of misleading patients about addictive danger resulting from its drugs.

This is the first time that New Jersey has decided to take legal action against a company based in the state as it continuously struggles to combat spiralling opioid addiction crisis.

It comes at a time when state attorneys general across the country have intensified efforts to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for the epidemics of abuse.

Gurbir Grewal, the New Jersey attorney general said that the subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, minimized the risk of opioid addiction in its marketing messages, targeted at older people and other patients who have little knowledge of opioid. It mounted a campaign to embed deceptions about the viability of long-term opioid use in the minds of doctors and patients.

New Jersey’s pharmaceutical industry is known worldwide. It has a long history of developing lifesaving drugs. But, the officials cannot ignore a New Jersey company like Janssen, which has violated laws and threatened the lives of the residents.

Along with such actions opioid addiction engagement is also necessary as it helps in combating addiction challenges.