McKesson opioid settlement overview:
- Who: McKesson Corp., Cencora Inc. and Cardinal Health have reached a $300 million class action settlement.
- Why: The McKesson settlement will resolve claims from health insurers and benefit plans over the drug distributorsโ alleged role in the opioid crisis.
- Where: The opioid class action lawsuit was filed in Ohio federal court.
Three of the countryโs largest drug distributors have reached a $300 million class action settlement over allegations they contributed to the opioid crisis, Reuters reports.
McKesson Corp., Cencora Inc. and Cardinal Health deny any wrongdoing but agreed to settle the McKesson opioid class action lawsuit to escape claims from health insurance companies and benefit plans over the drug companiesโ alleged failure to regulate the amount of opioid painkillers to be sold through illegal channels.
Paul Geller, one of the plaintiffsโ lawyers, said the McKesson settlement covered third-party payers that โlargely paid for the overprescribed and overmarketed pills and for the treatment required when their plan beneficiaries inevitably suffered opioid use disorder.โ
The proposed settlement class includes insurance companies and benefit plans that paid for or were reimbursed for prescription opioid drugs manufactured or distributed by the defendants and/or that incurred costs for treatment related to misuse, addiction and/or overdose of opioid drugs since Jan. 1, 1996.
McKesson will pay approximately 38% of the $300 million McKesson settlement amount, while Cardinal and Cenora will pay about 31%.
The plaintiffs have asked an Ohio federal judge to preliminarily approve the McKesson opioid settlement.
McKesson settlement part of effort to seek accountability for opioid crisis
Thousands of opioid lawsuits have been filed with the goal of holding drug manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies accountable for fueling the opioid crisis and hundreds of thousands of opioid overdoses in the United States over the last two decades.
More than $50 billion in settlements have been reached to date. Most of the opioid settlements have been reached with states and local governments.
Hikma Pharmaceuticals recently agreed to pay $150 million to escape allegations it failed to report suspicious opioid orders made by potentially illegal distributors. A California federal judge also recently approved a $78 million settlement over allegations McKinsey and Co. deceptively advertised its opioid prescription drugs.
What do you think about the McKesson settlement agreement? Join the discussion in the comments.
The plaintiffs are represented by Paul J. Geller and Mark J. Dearman of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP; Elizabeth J. Cabraser and Eric B. Fastiff of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP; Peter H. Weinberger of Spangenberg Shibley & Liber; Jayne Conroy of Simmons Hanly Conroy; Joseph F. Rice of Motley Rice; and Paul T. Farrell Jr. of Farrell & Fuller LLC.
The McKesson opioid settlement is In re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation, Case No. 1:17-md-02804-DAP, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, Eastern Division.
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130 thoughts onMcKesson, Cardinal, Cencora to pay $300M settlement over role in opioid epidemic
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I think people need to also take accountability for themselves and their own actions and decisions instead of passing blame. This makes it miserable and difficult for those who benefit from the responsible use of pain medications to be able to have a better quality of life and do somthing besides lay in bed in unbearable pain.
Also teaching people the difference between physical dependence from actual addiction. And Iโm sorry, how are people blaming a doctor for prescribing pain meds for a broken leg or after surgery!! Iโve seen this in how people say I got prescribed pain meds after these kind of events and have the nerve to blame the doctor for their lack of self control and being an addict!
While in the beginning when these meds first came out the companies should have warned doctors and patients in a greater level and definitely wanted to make money and people suffered from some ignorance of the side effects. But today, there really isnโt an excuse as we are painfully, literally painfully aware of what can happen. Itโs not the doctors fault you have inability to be responsible for yourself and what you choose to do, it all also boils down to people taking and acknowledging their own responsibility in their personal decisions and actions. No one shoved the medications down their throats and until someone experiences true severe chronic pain where you just want to die to end the misery, then you canโt truly understand there is a need for these medications that has become difficult to have sufficient or effective enough treatment if any, for so many who donโt deserve the backlash. They have lowered so significantly prescriptions yet it looks like it has literally had no impact on reducing deaths according medical associations
but yet deaths still increased significantly despite another 50% reduction in prescriptions, almost 200% more inquiries for compliances ect, 200% more naloxolone prescribed. (This is 2023 report that literally said itโs not the prescriptions!) You may have your few bad apple drs and people, you will in anything , but it should be clear by now itโs not the dang prescriptions, they are lumping illegal fentanyl and drugs in with the prescriptions and the ones suffering the most are the ones who need help with pain management and have tried every other route. Alcohol kills, Tabacco related deaths are #1, just the issue is they are usually slower killers except drunk driving ect. And they donโt treat anything. We have to stop blaming everyone else but ourselves for our problems and stop trying to get a pay day from anything we can think off all the time. There are times thatโs what should be done as this world is full of greedy, corner and cost cutting, dishonest companies and people, Iโm not saying the companies who make the opioids should not have to pay for the deception in the beginning until it became known as a crisis, but letโs be educated people and do your research and make smart choices for your self. For an example -If you have a family of addicts, then donโt take opioids unless itโs un preventable and set yourself up for success to not become one yourself over a darn surgery.
I had multiple major surgeries over the course of a few years.. So I was on perc 10s among other medications.. I stayed in pain due to hernia And endometriosis and degenerative disc disease.. but when Iโd go to the ER I once I couldnโt take the pain I would be accused of โfakingโ just to get pillsโฆ That was garbage!!
I have been accused and mistreated so many times, now I just take my mri and all associated paintwork and dr letters to prove Iโm there and not lying about anything. That shouldnโt ever happen though, bits itโs the climate with drs afraid to help people or trust anymore , Iโm sorry you went through that!
Was prescribed Percocet for years
Try to sign up for the Malincrodt lawsuit. You probably wonโt even see a dime from it, but I suppose itโs worth a shot.
I think its crazy that all the actual victims the ones who became addicted to these medications are not getting anything from these lawsuits. Instead all the money is going to the government not the induvidual victims of the opioid epidemic. Honestly itโs just gross and it shows the system does not care about them at all.
I WAS TAKING VICODIN/HYDROCODONE FOR SEVERAL YEARS.
I most certainly would love to know how I can get in on this settlement. I have been on painkillers in some capacity or another since I was 13 years old and I am 43 nowโฆ
I am a recovering addict for the last 10 years sober but the 10 years before that I was a full blown addict it started with oxycotin when that first hit an took off from there an Iโve spent the last 10 years making up for it
add i was addicted to tramadol, 3 times