US Pharmaceutical Industry: Billion Comparison in Opioid Crisis | tagesschau.de

Johnson & Johnson and three other pharmaceutical companies have agreed to a billion-dollar settlement in a lawsuit over addictive pain medication. Hundreds of thousands had died from overdoses.

In a lawsuit over addictive pain killers that has been going on for years, four large US pharmaceuticals companies have accepted a billions-worthy settlement with numerous plaintiffs.

The drug wholesalers McKesson, AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health as well as the drug manufacturer Johnson & Johnson (J&J) could ultimately pay up to $ 26 billion, as New York attorney general Letitia James and attorneys general from several other US states announced.

Hundreds of thousands dead in the United States

The four corporations were accused of contributing to rampant drug addiction in the United States with painkillers and of using reckless and aggressive methods to market painkillers while masking the dangers of addiction. The wholesalers have also done too little to prevent the mass distribution of painkillers through illegal channels. As a result, states and local authorities are reclaiming many billions of dollars from pharmaceutical companies that they spent fighting opiate addiction and overdose.

In the wake of the opioid crisis in the United States between 1999 and 2019, around 500,000 people were killed from overdoses of prescription pain relievers and illegal drugs. “The numerous companies that have made opioids and distributed them across the nation did so with no regard for life or even the national crisis that fueled them,” said James.

Several other companies had previously made individual comparisons. The focus of the conflict was initially the manufacturer of the pain reliever Oxycontin, Purdue Pharma, which is now in bankruptcy proceedings.

No more prosecution?

Pharmaceutical distributors are to be given 18 years to pay, and J&J nine years. Among other things, aid programs are to be financed with the money. However, so far it is only a draft that many US states, cities and counties have yet to finally pass. At least 44 states must agree to the agreement.

Overall, the large settlement that has been negotiated for over two years is intended to settle almost 4,000 lawsuits and various proceedings in one fell swoop. McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and Johnson & Johnson would avoid further prosecution by compromising.