Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck of New Jersey announced that the state is looking forward to join the opioid settlement agreements against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and the three largest opioid distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen.
As per the settlement agreement, New Jersey could receive over $600 million from the $26 billion nationwide settlement, which will be paid by the opioid manufacturing companies.
States can decide about their participation in the agreement by August 21, 2021. Companies can decide to enter the agreement by September 4, and counties and municipal governments have to confirm their participation by January 2, 2022.
As per the settlement, J&J will pay up to $5 billion over ten years, and distributors will collectively pay up to $21 billion over 18 years. The agreement even guides that a major part of the settlement will be used for the treatment of opioid addicts and the prevention of further opioid crisis.
The agreement even orders the companies to stop selling opioids and restrict the marketing of the drugs. It even ordered J&J to provide clinical data about opioids.
The attorney general said that the opioid crisis has devastated many New Jersey families and has been a matter of concern throughout the U.S. for the past decade. He added that no amount could compensate for the lost lives and affected families, but the settlement will surely help the state and the nation to prevent the further opioid crisis.
