Rhode Island has reached a settlement of more than $114 million with an opioid manufacturer and three distributors, most of which will go directly to fighting the crisis and helping people with addiction, state Attorney General Peter Neronha said yesterday, the Associated Press reported. The settlement includes $21.1 million from Johnson & Johnson and an additional $90.8 million in total from AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson, he said at a news conference. The money is an addition to a $2.6 million settlement reached with McKinsey & Co. last year. “All of these companies basically prioritized profits over safety,” Neronha said. The agreement “will both expedite the flow of resources to communities impacted by the crisis while enabling the company to focus on ensuring the pharmaceutical supply chain is meeting the needs of health care providers and patients across the nation,” AmerisourceBergen said in a statement.
