Washington To Get $518M From Opioid Distributors

Washington To Get $518M From Opioid Distributors

Introduction

Drug distributors McKesson Corp, AmerisourceBergen Corp and Cardinal Health have reached a $518 million settlement with Washington over the companies' role in fueling the opioid epidemic in the state.

As per the agreement, AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal will each pay $160.5 million, whereas McKesson will pay $197 million of the settlement amount to the state. It is one of the largest settlements in the history of the Washington state.

Earlier, Washington refused to be a part of the national opioid settlement worth $26 billion, which involved Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and three drug distributors. The settlement was finalized in February, when the state would have received $417.9 million from McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen.

The attorney representing Washington said that the state would have participated in the national opioid settlement involving the largest opioid distributors but chose to fight the companies in the court as it would allow Washington additional resources to combat the opioid crisis.

In a November trial, the state accused the drug distributors failed to prevent pills from being diverted for illegal use. The trial took place in King County Superior Court, where the state sought $38.2 billion to fund treatment.

The drug distributors denied the wrongdoings by rejecting all the allegations against them but claimed that the settlement would surely provide some relief to the people and communities affected by the nationwide opioid epidemic.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States reported more than 500,000 deaths due to opioid overdoses over the past two decades.