Stelara Purchasers Get Partial Class Status in J&J Antitrust Row

Third-party purchasers of the Stelara drug won partial class action certification in a case accusing Johnson & Johnson of delaying less expensive versions of the medication that treats Crohn’s disease.

Judge Jamar K. Walker of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in a Dec. 5 order granted class status to the buyers on federal and state antitrust claims, saying plaintiff Carefirst of Maryland Inc. demonstrated that facts common to class members predominated over any questions affecting only individual members.

Carefirst in 2023 alleged that J&J unlawfully delayed competing generic versions of the drug, causing third-party payers ...