Drug Distributor Reckitt to Pay $700 Million Over Opioid Marketing
- Settlement is part of $1.4 billion Justice Department accord
- Distributor was accused of improperly marketing Suboxone
Photographer: John Moore/Getty Images
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Drug distributor Reckitt Benckiser Group agreed to a $700 million settlement with six U.S. states over claims that the company improperly marketed and promoted the opioid-addiction treatment Suboxone.
The marketing resulted in state Medicaid funds being improperly spent on the drug as governments sought to combat the deadly opioid epidemic, New York Attorney General Letitia James said Wednesday. The deal is part of a $1.4 billion accord announced in July by the U.S. Justice Department resolving civil and criminal claims, for which Reckitt Benckiser denied wrongdoing.