Teva Pharmaceuticals agrees $ 85 million settlement with Oklahoma in an opioid case

An Israeli-based pharmaceutical company has agreed to settle US $ 85 million with the state of Oklahoma for its alleged role in financing the opioid crisis.

Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter had accused Teva Pharmaceuticals of creating a public nuisance through its production and marketing of opioids. In a statement announcing the settlement, Teva stated that the agreement "does not establish any wrongdoing on the part of the company". Teva also stated that she "had not contributed in any way to the opioid abuse in Oklahoma".

The colony makes Teva the second company to settle with Oklahoma after the opioid epidemic. In March, Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, agreed to a $ 270 million settlement with the state. Teva, the largest generic manufacturer in the world, was scheduled to appear in court Tuesday alongside Johnson & Johnson.

"Today's announcement reflects the countless hours and resources allocated to the state legal team to prepare this trial, as well as their dedication and determination to Keeping the defendants in this case responsible for the epidemic of opioid overdose and addiction that continues to claim thousands of victims each year, "Hunter said in a statement.

BREAK || We have agreed to an $ 85 million settlement agreement with Israel-based Teva Pharmaceuticals for its role in the opioid epidemic in that state.

MORE: https://t.co/4q1MjTezTZ pic.twitter.com/95DTitbtV4

– Mike Hunter (@AGMikeHunter) May 26, 2019

According to Hunter, funds from the Teva colony will be used to fight the opioid crisis. According to lawyers, it will take between $ 12.7 and $ 17.5 billion over 20 to 30 years to alleviate the opioid crisis in Oklahoma, according to the daily newspaper L & # 39; Oklahoman.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdoses of opioids are responsible for more than 47,000 deaths in 2017 alone. According to the CDC, 36% of these deaths involve prescription opioids.

In April, a survey released by NPR and Ipsos revealed that one-third of Americans had been directly affected by the opioid epidemic. The survey found that 57% of Americans felt that pharmaceutical companies should be held responsible for exacerbating the crisis.

"It's something, no matter what your age, your gender, your place of residence, your political party membership that people believe in a lot," said Mallory Newall, lead investigator of the Ipsos survey.

Paul Ten Haken, Mayor of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, tweeted that "the case of Oklahoma is closely watched by plaintiffs in other opioid cases, including South Dakota and South Dakota. 1,850 other governments, mainly municipal and regional, who sued the same drug manufacturers ".

The case of Oklahoma is closely watched by plaintiffs in other opioid cases, including South Dakota and 1,850 other governments, mostly municipal and state, which sued the same manufacturers of drugs https://t.co/WrKj1zgYU8

– Paul Ten Haken (@paultenhaken) May 26, 2019

Johnson & Johnson will continue its trial for its alleged role in the opioid crisis and is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

"Almost all Oklahomans have been negatively affected by this deadly crisis and we look forward to Tuesday, where we will prove our case against Johnson & Johnson and its affiliates," Hunter said in a statement.

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