US drugmakers and distributors to cough up $26bn to settle opioid claims
US drug distributors and drugmakers are set to cough up $26bn to settle claims they helped stoke a nationwide opioid epidemic.
Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson will pay $5bn, while drug distributors McKesson Corp, Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen Corp will pay $21bn altogether.
The news was first reported by Reuters.
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The final overall settlement could change depending on the number of states that agree to the proposal.
The distributors were accused of having weak internal controls that resulted in addictive painkillers being channelled into illegal pathways, devastating communities. J&J was alleged to have downplayed the addiction risk.
“There continues to be progress toward finalizing this agreement and we remain committed to providing certainty for involved parties and critical assistance for families and communities in need” J&J said in a statement.
Nearly 500,000 people died from opioid overdoses in the US from 1999 to 2019, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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