An arrangement of the opioid oxycodone-acetaminophen tablets in New York. Idaho officials on Friday agreed to a $119 million deal with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and three major distributors over their role in the opioid addiction crisis.
Patrick Sison / AP
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Patrick Sison / AP
An arrangement of the opioid oxycodone-acetaminophen tablets in New York. Idaho officials on Friday agreed to a $119 million deal with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and three major distributors over their role in the opioid addiction crisis.
Patrick Sison / AP
Idaho officials on Friday announced a $119 million settlement with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and three major distributors over their role in the opioid addiction crisis.
Republican Governor Brad Little and Republican Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said it was the second-largest consumer settlement in state history, behind only the 1998 national tobacco settlement of $712 million.
An Ada County judge on Wednesday approved the settlement Little and Wasden agreed to in August. The state’s involvement makes it eligible for the $64 million minimum. It also opened the way for local government agencies to participate, and all those eligible did so at the end of December, bringing the amount to $119 million.
The money will address opioid damage, for which the federal government declared a public health emergency in 2017. Johnson & Johnson and three distributors have finalized a $26 billion settlement. national in February.
“Idaho has made significant strides in recent years in combating the opioid crisis and culminated in our legal action against opioid manufacturers – led by Attorney General Wasden and his team. his topped – now provides additional resources,” Little said in a statement. “Overall, our investments and operations will turn the tide on the opioid crisis.”
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden in Boise, Idaho in 2017.
Darin Oswald / Idaho Statesman via AP
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Darin Oswald / Idaho Statesman via AP
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden in Boise, Idaho in 2017.
Darin Oswald / Idaho Statesman via AP
Wasden is continuing to take legal action against other opioid manufacturers as well as the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma.
“This settlement holds some of the greatest responsibility for the opioid crisis and provides substantial funding for treatment, recovery, and prevention in Idaho,” Wasden said. “These funds will be a huge asset to our state as it continues to recover from the opioid crisis.”
By signing the national settlement, government organizations agree to drop their own lawsuits against Johnson & Johnson, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson.
For Idaho, Johnson & Johnson’s roughly $21 million payment will be spread over nine years. Payments of about $98 million from drug distributors will be split over 18 years.
Under the agreement, 40% of the funds will go to participating counties and cities, with another 20% going to regional public health counties.
The remaining 40% will go to a state-directed opioid settlement fund, created by lawmakers last year and signed into law by Little. The Idaho Legislature will deduct funds based on recommendations from the Idaho Behavioral Health Council, a division of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
The settlements, in addition to payments, include increased accountability and oversight for drug companies, changes in the way prescriptions are distributed and sold, independent oversight, a national database to help stop the supply of opioids to pharmacies when abuse occurs, and a ban on Johnson & Johnson from selling or advertising opioids.
Alabama, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Washington and West Virginia have not entered into the agreement and have sought their own agreements or taken legal action.
Washington will receive $418 million if it joins the settlement. Earlier this month, state officials agreed to a $518 million deal with AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson. The settlement still requires approval from a judge and from dozens of Washington cities that have pursued their own lawsuits. Washington’s case against Johnson & Johnson is expected to go to trial in September.
West Virginia in April settled with subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Johnson & Johnson for $99 million. State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said he believes West Virginia’s settlement is the largest in the country per capita with Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen.
Also last month, Alabama reached a $276 million deal with Johnson & Johnson, McKesson and Endo International.
Idaho’s share of the 1998 $206 billion national tobacco payment was $712 million over the first 25 years of the agreement.
