“J&J had no control of its products through the multiple levels of distribution, including after it sold the opioids to distributors and wholesalers, which were then disbursed to pharmacies, hospitals, and physicians’ offices, and then prescribed by doctors to patients.
J&J's inability to monitor its products was a result of a multifaceted distribution system, which included the sale of opioids to intermediaries, who then distributed them to various healthcare facilities and medical practitioners, ultimately leading to prescriptions being written for patients.