California Attorney General Rob Bonta has announced that approximately $720 million in settlements have been secured nationwide from eight drug manufacturers involved in the opioid crisis. The settlements were achieved with significant participation from attorneys general across the United States, and local governments will now have a sign-on period. California is set to receive over $70 million.
“So long as the opioid epidemic continues to ravage communities in California and across the country, we will continue to hold accountable those who played a role in fueling it,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Today’s announcement holds accountable eight drug makers for their role in worsening the opioid crisis and brings much-needed funds for addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery to those impacted by this crisis. The California Department of Justice is committed to keeping our communities safe from the threat posed by the opioid crisis.”
The settlements involve payments from Mylan (now part of Viatris), Hikma, Amneal, Apotex, Indivior, Sun, Alvogen, and Zydus. These payments will be distributed over various time frames ranging from one year to ten years.
In addition to financial compensation, several companies are required to provide free pharmaceutical products or cash equivalents. Seven companies are prohibited from promoting opioids or selling products containing more than 40 mg of oxycodone per pill and must implement monitoring systems for suspicious orders. Indivior has agreed not to manufacture or sell opioid products for ten years but can continue marketing medications for treating opioid use disorder.
These settlements were negotiated by officials from California along with North Carolina, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia.
