Drs. Andrew Kolodny, Anna Lembke and Jane Ballantyne are frequently quoted in the media. They now acknowledge hiding critical conflicts of interest.

Dr. Kolodny alone was paid $500,000 as an expert witness in Oklahoma’s opioid litigation against Johnson & Johnson.[1]

Clarification of Reporting of Potential Conflicts of Interest

“To the Editor I am writing to provide additional information to clarify conflict of interest disclosures in 2 articles I published in JAMA in 2017 and 2018. During this time, I received compensation for work as an expert in malpractice litigation involving opioid prescribing. When the articles were first published, I did not believe this work could be perceived as a potential conflict of interest. My view has since changed. In the spirit of full transparency, I am requesting a correction to my disclosure statements.”


Dr. Andrew Kolodny, September 2019[2]

“An earlier version of this article gave an incomplete description of Dr. Anna Lembke’s role at a court session in Cleveland. Dr. Lembke was giving testimony as an expert witness in support of plaintiffs in the opioid cases; she was not speaking solely as an addiction specialist.”

[3][4]

“This story has been updated with information about Dr. Andrew Kolodny’s and Dr. Jane Ballantyne’s work in suits against Purdue and other opioid makers.”

[4][5]