Three major drug distributors in the United States and Johnson & Johnson have agreed to pay tribal communities up to $665 million for the opioid public health crisis.
According to a court filing Tuesday, drug distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson have come to a deal to pay $515 million over the next six years to tribes while Johnson & Johnson will contribute $150 million in two years, as reported by the Washington Post.
POLICE FIND 100 BAGS OF FENTANYL IN BEDROOM OF DEAD TEENAGER
The settlement stems from a lawsuit filed by more than 400 Native American tribes claiming that painkillers manufactured by J&J and distributed by the other companies were “highly addictive” and shipped without considerations for “clear signs of abuse and death.”
The companies denied any wrongdoing.
All federally recognized tribes will be able to receive settlements, even if they did not sue.
The same four companies are in settlement proceedings worth $26 billion with state and local governments, according to the Associated Press.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
A Washington Post analysis found that nationwide, from 2006 to 2014, Native Americans were nearly 50% more likely to die from opioid overdoses than anyone else.
