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States unveiled a landmark $ 26 billion deal with pharmaceutical companies to resolve thousands of lawsuits related to the opioid crisis, paving the way for communities across the country to secure additional funding to fight an epidemic of dependence on pain relievers which has not diminished.
The country’s three largest drug distributors – McKesson Corp. , AmerisourceBergen Corp. and Cardinal Health Inc. – and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson have been negotiating the deal for more than two years, but Wednesday’s announcement marks a milestone that could pave the way for the money to be received by states as soon as possible. early next year.
An opioid crisis that has claimed half a million lives in the United States has sparked more than 3,000 lawsuits by states, local governments, Native American tribes, hospital groups and others against players in the pharmaceutical industry . The lawsuits allege that drugmakers have pushed their pain relievers for uses far beyond what was medically necessary and that distributors and pharmacies have not done enough to stop the masses of pills from pouring into communities. .
The companies fought back, claiming they were manufacturing and distributing a medically necessary and federally regulated product. But at the same time, the burden of litigation, such as handing over millions of internal documents, making employees available for depositions, and preparing for complex lawsuits that might reveal embarrassing details, has sent many companies to the table. negotiations.
Attorneys General for Tennessee, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, Louisiana, Delaware and Connecticut jointly announced on Wednesday the final deal, which was rumored earlier this week. .
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