AG Rayfield: Oregon communities deserve justice, and opioid manufacturers are being held accountable.
Attorney General Dan Rayfield today announced approximately $720 million nationwide in settlements with eight drug makers that manufactured opioid pills and worsened the nationwide opioid crisis. Based on the overwhelming participation by Attorneys General across the country, all eight defendants have agreed to proceed with a sign-on period for local governments. Oregon will receive up to $10.1 million in all.
“Opioid drug makers must be held accountable for the harm they’ve caused to families and communities across Oregon, and this settlement is part of our ongoing efforts to seek justice,” Rayfield said. “No amount of money can rewind the clock, but this money will allow us to continue building a future free from this crisis by investing in drug treatment, prevention, and recovery support across our state.”
The eight defendants and the total amount they will pay in funds to address the opioid crisis as part of the deal are:
- Mylan (now part of Viatris): $284,447,916 paid over nine years
- Hikma: $95,818,293 paid over one to four years
- Amneal: $71,751,010 paid over 10 years
- Apotex: $63,682,369 paid in a single year
- Indivior: $38,022,450 paid over four years
- Sun: $30,992,087 paid over one to four years
- Alvogen: $18,680,162 paid in a single year
- Zydus: $14,859,220 paid in a single year
In addition to these abatement payments, several of the settlements allow states to receive additional funds or free harm reduction pharmaceutical products. Oregon has chosen to receive additional funds. Additionally, seven of the companies (not including Indivior) are prohibited from promoting or marketing opioids and opioid products, making or selling any product that contains more than 40 mg of oxycodone per pill, and are required to put in place a monitoring and reporting system for suspicious orders. Indivior has agreed to not manufacture or sell opioid products for the next 10 years, but it will be able to continue marketing and selling medications to treat opioid use disorder.
The settlements were negotiated by North Carolina, California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia.
In Oregon, settlement funds are distributed:
- 45% to the state: Directed into the Opioid Settlement Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Fund, established by Oregon statute in 2022.
- 55% to counties and cities: Distributed to support local opioid prevention, treatment, and recovery programs.
The $10.1 million recovery for Oregon in this settlement is in addition to the approximately $700 million Oregon will receive from settlements entered into since July 2021 in national lawsuits against several pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors and retailers for their role in the opioid crisis – including a $66 million settlement agreement announced in June from the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma.