Louisiana to receive $325M from opioid settlement case

Louisiana should receive more than $325 million as part of a settlement that multiple states and local governments reached with three drug companies and a company that manufactured and marketed opioids, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry announced Wednesday.

Landry was part of a bipartisan group of attorneys general from across the United States who accused Cardinal, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Johnson & Johnson of fueling the nation’s opiod addiction crisis.  The companies settled for $26 billion dollars.

“Today is a great day in our fight to hold accountable those who have stoked the fire of the opioid crisis,” Landry said in a written statement. “Thousands of our neighbors have buried their loved ones throughout the opioid epidemic, and countless other families in Louisiana remain devastated by the crisis.”

Cardinal, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, the three drug distributors, issued a statement Wednesday: “While the companies strongly dispute the allegations made in these lawsuits, they believe the proposed settlement agreement and settlement process it establishes, which is outlined below, are important steps toward achieving broad resolution of governmental opioid claims and delivering meaningful relief to communities across the United States. The companies remain deeply concerned about the impact the opioid epidemic is having on individuals, families, and communities across the nation and are committed to being part of the solution.”

In its statement, Johnson & Johnson wrote, “We recognize the opioid crisis is a tremendously complex public health issue, and we have deep sympathy for everyone affected. This settlement will directly support state and local efforts to make meaningful progress in addressing the opioid crisis in the United States.”