Drug companies offer $US26 billion to settle thousands of opioid lawsuits - The Age

Wilmington: Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson and three opioid distributors have agreed to pay a combined $US26 billion ($35 billion) to resolve thousands of state and local government lawsuits over the handling of addictive painkillers that created a US public-health crisis.

The landmark deal – years in the making – calls for distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen to pay almost $US21 billion to resolve allegations they turned a blind eye to suspiciously large opioid shipments, the companies and state attorneys-general said.

“While no amount of money will ever be enough, this settlement will force these drug companies to pay a historic amount of money to bring much-needed treatment and recovery services to North Carolina communities and to change their business practices so that something like this never happens again,” said North Carolina Attorney-General Josh Stein, who was among the state negotiating group.

More than 40 states are expected to participate in the deal, Stein said during a press conference with other attorneys general.

The companies said they were confident the accord would resolve a substantial portion of their opioid liabilities.

A “critical mass” of states needs to back the deal or it will fall apart, Joe Rice, one of the lawyers representing states, cities and counties, said in a press conference.

Every day that goes by without money for treatment just prolongs the pain of the opioid epidemic that has only gotten worse during the pandemic, Louisiana Attorney-General Jeff Landry said during a press conference.