AmerisourceBergen (ABC), Cardinal Health (CAH) and McKesson (MCK) said that they agreed to proceed with a comprehensive agreement to settle the vast majority of the opioid lawsuits filed by state and local governmental entities in the U.S.
The settlement will provide thousands of communities across the United States with up to about $19.5 billion over 18 years.
The three distributors will also implement injunctive relief terms, including establishing a clearinghouse that consolidates data from all three distributors. This data will be available to all settling states and territories to use as part of their anti-diversion efforts.
As per the settlement agreement, AmerisourceBergen will pay $6.1 billion, Cardinal Health will pay $6 billion and McKesson will pay $7.4 billion over 18 years.
The companies have previously disclosed that 46 of 49 eligible states, as well as the District of Columbia and all eligible territories, have agreed to join the settlement. As of February 25, 2022, more than 90 percent of eligible political subdivisions that have brought opioid-related suits against the companies have agreed to participate in the settlement or have had their claims addressed by state legislation.
The states of Alabama, Oklahoma and Washington chose not to participate in the settlement. The state of West Virginia previously settled with the companies, and its subdivisions are not part of this settlement.
The companies previously settled with the Cherokee Nation and have reached a separate agreement in principle to settle the claims of the remaining federally recognized Native American Tribes.
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