$50 Billion Opioid Settlement Bid Sparks States-Cities Fight

State AGs support companies’ offer; cities demand more cash
Test case was set to begin Monday in Cleveland federal court

Four opioid distributors settle with two Ohio counties for $260 million. Bloomberg’s Drew Armstrong reports.Daybreak: Americas." (Source: Bloomberg)

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By Jef Feeley and Riley Griffin

October 21, 2019 at 12:08 PM UTC

Updated on

October 22, 2019 at 10:21 AM UTC

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About $50 billion in settlement offers by drugmakers and distributors have sparked a fight between state attorneys general and thousands of local governments over how much the pharmaceutical industry should pay for its role in creating the U.S. opioid epidemic.

Drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. said Monday it offered $23 billion in treatment medications and $250 million toward a settlement of more than 2,700 lawsuits by states and municipalities. That follows a proposal by Johnson & Johnson for $4 billion and another for $18 billion by opioid distributors McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Corp., along with $2.5 billion in distribution services.