Opioid Distributors to Move Forward With $26 Billion Accord
- McKesson, other distributors say enough states have signed on
- States, local governments sued over mishandling of painkillers
Photographer: John Moore/Getty Images
McKesson Corp. and two other opioid distributors agreed Saturday to press ahead with their part of a $26 billion settlement aimed at resolving thousands of state and local government lawsuits over their alleged mishandling of the addictive painkillers.
McKesson, Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Corp. concluded “enough states have agreed to settle to proceed” to the next step in the accord, which focuses on seeking local governments’ to drop their suits in return for money to beef up policing and drug-treatment budgets, according to a joint release. They said 42 states signed on to the deal, along with five U.S. territories and Washington, D.C.
The announcement didn’t include Johnson & Johnson, which is supposed to kick in another $5 billion to the accord. However, Jake Sargent, a J&J spokesman, said Saturday the company is moving forward with its portion of the settlement.
The settlement marks a major step forward in litigation over the highly-addictive drugs, which have been blamed on more than 500,000 U.S. deaths over two decades. States, cities and counties filed nearly 4,000 suits against more than a dozen drug makers, distributors and pharmacies seeking compensation for billions spent battling the U.S. opioid epidemic.