A group of state attorneys general unveiled a landmark, $26 billion settlement resolving claims that the three largest U.S. drug distributors and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson helped fuel a deadly nationwide opioid epidemic, CNBC reported. Under the settlement proposal, distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen are expected to pay a combined $21 billion, while Johnson & Johnson would pay $5 billion. The money from the distributors will be paid out over the next 18 years. J&J will pay over nine years, with up to $3.7 billion paid during the first three years. The distributors were accused of lax controls that allowed massive amounts of addictive painkillers to be diverted into illegal channels, devastating communities, while J&J was accused of downplaying the addiction risk in its opioid marketing. The companies have denied the allegations. The settlement also calls for the creation of an independent clearinghouse to provide all three distributors and state regulators aggregated data about where drugs are going and how often, a tool negotiators hope will help reduce pills being over shipped to communities. The ultimate amount the companies may have to pay will depend on the extent states sign up for the settlement and confirm their cities and counties are on board. The opioid crisis has been blamed for hundreds of thousands of U.S. overdose deaths since 1999, but has hit some regions much harder than others, creating divisions among governments when it comes to evaluating the settlement. At least 44 states must sign onto the deal to receive some of the money, and negotiators hope to gather more support.
