Johnson & Johnson agreed to a $26 billion joint settlement Friday to thousands of claims by state and local governments over the alleged roles it and three other companies played in the opioid pandemic.
Distributors McKesson Corp, AmerisourceBergen Corp, and Cardinal Health Inc. also settled, agreeing to pay up to $21 billion over 18 years, while Johnson & Johnson said it would pay $5 billion over nine years. Another $2 billion has been set aside for legal fees.
“Billions of dollars are now going to flow to treatment, recovery, education, and abating this public health crisis,” Paul Geller, a lawyer for local governments, told Reuters.
ABBOTT-LED TEXAS LOOKS TO BLAME FENTANYL ‘POISONINGS’ ON CARTELS AND CHINA
In addition to the money, Johnson & Johnson has agreed to stop selling prescription opioids, and the distributors will send data to a clearinghouse that monitors the black market.
Johnson & Johnson said it does not admit wrongdoing by agreeing to the settlement, but there was sufficient participation in the suits to warrant the deal.
Forty-six out of 49 eligible states are settling in the lawsuit, with over 7,000 local governments accepting the settlement. Johnson & Johnson settled with New York last June.
But all four companies continue to face litigation in Alabama, Oklahoma, Washington, and West Virginia. Johnson & Johnson also faces litigation from New Hampshire.
The lawsuits claim drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and the distributors downplayed the risks of addiction in marketing certain pain medication, including opioids. The companies were too relaxed in their control of the medication and were therefore responsible for the drugs falling into the wrong hands, the 2019 filings added.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Nearly 841,000 people have died since 1999 from a drug overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most common lethal overdose in recent years stems from fentanyl, an opioid.
Other drugmakers such as Purdue Pharma and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd are also facing litigation for their alleged roles in the opioid crisis.
