. Johnson & Johnson Agrees to Pay $230 Million in New York Opioid Settlement - News Times

Johnson & Johnson Agrees to Pay $230 Million in New York Opioid Settlement

By News Here - 14:08

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Johnson & Johnson will pay $230 million to New York state to settle claims that the company helped fuel the opioid crisis, and agreed to halt manufacturing or selling opioid-related products.

“The opioid epidemic has wreaked havoc on countless communities across New York state and the rest of the nation, leaving millions still addicted to dangerous and deadly opioids,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement Saturday. “Johnson & Johnson helped fuel this fire, but today they’re committing to leaving the opioid business — not only in New York, but across the entire country.”

The pharmaceutical company is set to pay the funds over nine years. James said the money would be used to fund “opioid prevention, treatment, and education efforts” across the state.

The agreement marks the largest monetary recovery in James’ tenure as attorney general, and that is not including the additional $30 million the company may have to pay if New York passes a law creating an opioid settlement fund.

Johnson & Johnson said in a statement that “the settlement is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing” and it “remains committed to providing certainty for involved parties and critical assistance for communities in need.” The company also noted that the settlement specifically pertained to two painkillers that accounted for less than 1% of the market and were already no longer sold in the U.S.

Between 1999 to 2019, nearly 247,000 people died in the U.S. from overdoses involving prescription opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally per the CDC, overdose deaths related to prescription opioids “more than quadrupled” in those same years.

A separate suit brought by James against other pharmaceutical companies that played a role in the opioid crisis going to trial next week. Johnson & Johnson was originally named as a defendant but will be removed by James as part of the settlement. The other defendants in the suit include Purdue Pharma, Mallinckrodt LLC, Endo Health Solutions, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, and Allergan Finance LLC.

The post Johnson & Johnson Agrees to Pay $230 Million in New York Opioid Settlement first appeared on Mediaite.

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