Pharmaceuticals in the United States have agreed to pay $ 26,000 million for their responsibility in the opioid epidemic

Pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson and three drug distributors have reached a tentative agreement to pay $ 26,000 million and thus close the lawsuits against him for the opioid epidemic.

This week, details of the deal will be released, which could end a more than two-year dispute with the governments of 44 states and many other jurisdictions, several US media reported on Monday.

The deal, which also involves opioid distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson, It also includes an additional $ 1 billion for the resolution of certain complaints in New York State., indicates the log The Wall Street Journal.

The $ 26,000 million in the deal includes $ 21,000 million to be paid by distributors and $ 5,000 million that would be paid by Johnson & Johnson.

Between 1999 and 2019, nearly half a million people died in the United States from overdoses of prescription and illegal opioids, and state and municipal governments have been negotiating compensation for more than two years.

The plaintiffs include the governments of 44 states, which will have 30 days to decide whether to accept the settlement, which will require action to convince their municipal governments that they have incurred spending to deal with the opioid epidemic.

In addition to the states, among the plaintiffs are thousands of Native American communities, cities, counties, tribes and other jurisdictions, which have fought for years in litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors.

the Washington post explain that at least 44 states, 95% of cities, counties and other claimants, and 90% of non-contentious jurisdictions must sign the pact to receive part of the awards.

“However, the agreement in principle is the closest to this long legal battle to reach a conclusion,” the newspaper added, citing insiders familiar with the agreement.

According to the United States National Center for Health Statistics, In 2020, more than 93,000 people died from drug overdoses in the country, a 30% increase from the previous year, which was already a record.

Of these deaths, 69,710 have been attributed to an opioid overdose.

(with information from the EFE)

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