The Oklahoma state judge approved the $85 million deal between Teva Pharmaceuticals and the state of Oklahoma, over the company’s alleged role in the opioid epidemic.
According to a consent order issued on Monday, Cleveland County Judge Thad Balkman’s approval came after two weeks following a compilation to a new law governing how state-involved settlements will be paid. As per the settlement, the company cannot use speakers, leaders, or events to promote the drugs, and any direct or indirect financial support for any brochures, newsletters, books, or guides for marketing the drugs. The drugmaker has also agreed not to employ or contract with sales representatives to sell the drugs.
The settlement was announced in late May, just two days before the trial was set to begin. Purdue Pharma agreed to pay $270 million to Oklahoma in March. As of these settlements, Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. are the only remaining defendants in the Oklahoma case.
U.S. District Judge Dan Polster is presiding over more than 1,900 lawsuits filed under MDL No. 2804 (In Re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation) by U.S. cities and counties, each seeking damages for costs associated with addiction and abuse.
