Ky. doctor testifies against Johnson and Johnson, why he’s anti-opioid

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – A Lexington-native doctor testified against Johnson and Johnson in a lawsuit in Oklahoma.

The lawsuit is the first of its kind in the nation to hold an opioid pharmaceutical company accountable.

Dr. Danesh Mazloomdoost was one of the experts called to the witness stand to testify about the addictive qualities in opioids.

He is the Medical Director at Wellward Regenerative Medicine in Lexington. He said the his mission, as well as the mission of his practice is to find alternative solutions to pain.

“We want to build the model of managing these conditions that does so in a more sustainable manner and does so without exposing patients to unnecessary risks,” Dr. Mazloomdoost said.

Risks like opioids for pain treatment.

He said the trial’s outcome is only small victory.

“It’s not even a drop in the bucket because with all the damage that has taken place, all the problems that have been created,” he said. “We have about three decades during which intelligent discourse around managing orthopedic and neurological pain problems essentially stopped.”

And instead, have been replaced with using opioids as a cure-all, he said.

In Kentucky, the attorney general has filed complaints against more than half a dozen pharmaceutical companies, including Johnson and Johnson.

Dr. Mazloomdoost said his philosophy of alternative care has been the minority in the past, but he says he’s optimistic others will begin to realize the benefits to not falling on opioid prescriptions.

“My hope is that this at least sets a precedence that we continue to build upon. We’re facing the larger scale issue of how do we approach health,” he said.