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Johnson & Johnson has added $1 billion to a $4 billion settlement deal from last year resolving claims in an opioid crisis lawsuit.
The additional contribution is not an admission of liability and instead “results from continued negotiations and is intended to maximize participation in the settlement,” the pharmaceutical company said Tuesday, according to The Hill. With the addition of $1 billion, Johnson & Johnson has upped its participation in the settlement to a total of $5 billion.
Johnson & Johnson’s settlement payment is part of a larger $48 billion deal between four states and four other companies.
Drug distributer McKesson has agreed to pay $6.68 billion over 18 years. Amerisource Bergen and Cardinal Health each will pay around $5.6 billion over 18 years. Drug maker Teva Pharmaceuticals will pay $23 billion in suboxone — an opiate addiction drug — for 10 years.
In total, the deal provides $22 billion in cash and $26 billion in other benefits such as opioid addiction treatments, data tracking and more.
The opioid settlement resolves lawsuits against the companies alleging that their actions played a significant role in America’s opioid crisis.
Opioid drugs such as OxyContin, Vicodin, morphine, fentanyl and others are commonly used by medical professionals to manage pain after surgery or injuries.
Although these drugs are effective in managing pain, they are also incredibly addictive. After someone is prescribed opioids by a doctor, they may eventually develop an addiction — leading them to seek irresponsible opioid prescriptions or even turn to street-drug opioids, such as heroin.
As a result of an opioid addiction, consumers may suffer financial injury along with the physical injury of addiction. Some addicted individuals may even overdose on opioids — leaving a grieving family in their wake.
Opioid addiction has become a crisis in America.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2018 alone, more than 67,000 Americans died from drug overdoses — 70% of which were attributed to opioids. In 2018, the number of drug overdose deaths was four times higher than in 1999.
As a result of the opioid crisis, consumers and legal authorities have taken legal action against drug manufacturers like Johnson & Johnson.
According to legal action against these companies, the promotional and marketing materials for prescription opioids have contributed to the opioid crisis.
The benefits of opioids have allegedly been overstated to physicians and the public, while their downsides, such as addiction, have been left out of marketing, leading the drugs to be widely prescribed to treat pain.
Lawsuits, including one complaint filed by Minneapolis against drug manufacturers, argue the pharmaceutical companies have a responsibility to accurately and safely market their drugs.
As a result of their actions, cities such as Minneapolis have allegedly had their resources drained by the opioid crisis while families struggle with the personal ramifications of addiction.
The recent Johnson & Johnson settlement is a global resolution to such claims that were consolidated in a multidistrict litigation.
“The settlement is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing, and the Company will continue to defend against any litigation that the final agreement does not resolve,” Johnson & Johnson said in a statement following the announcement of the increased settlement amount. “The settlement will provide certainty for involved parties and critical assistance for families and communities in need.”
Several other companies have agreed to resolve opioid claims against them in settlement deals.
Mallinckrodt, a company that produces many of the generic opioids on the market, filed for bankruptcy recently due to the liability it faces in opioid crisis lawsuits. In February, the company agreed to pay $1.6 billion as part of a opioid settlement with 47 state attorneys general.
After the company finishes bankruptcy proceedings, it will reportedly start the opioid settlement with a $450 million payment.
Recently, Purdue told Reuters it is nearing a plea deal with the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with the company’s role in the opioid crisis.
As a part of the deal, Purdue would plead guilty to the criminal charges against it and resolve billions of dollars in criminal penalties. The plea deal could be unveiled within the next few weeks.
Reuters also reported Purdue may be nearing a resolution in civil claims in opioid crisis lawsuits. Like Mallinckrodt, Purdue declared bankruptcy last year in the face of mounting legal liability.
Have your or your family members been affected by the ongoing opioid crisis in America? Share your story in the comment section below.
The Opioid Crisis Settlement is In re: National Prescription Opiate Litigation, Case No. 1:17-md-02804, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
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74 thoughts onJohnson & Johnson Ups Offering to $5B In Opioid Settlement Deal
I been addicted to opiates for over 35 years and it has ruined my life my relationship I suffer from depression anxiety and bipolar these big drug companies make big money but we are the ones that suffer and they need to pay thank you!!
I also got in trouble with the law I have a folder with proof of how much it cost me to pay probation attorney fees and 12 months probation with large fines please contact me ASAP. I would like to get Compensated thank you.
Add me
I have been addicted to OxyContin for 5.5 years and I lost my sister due to her addiction to the same pain killers
I owe massive rehab and hospital bills due to my long and devastating 10 year addiction. I was constantly force fed pain pills by Drs and then left with withdrawals. Eventually I started using heroin worst mistake I’ve ever made. Multiple overdoses and rehab stays and happy to say God helped me and I have 5 years clean. But the consequences of my mistakes are holding me back due to all the money I owe for getting off the drugs Drs and Big Pharma so desperately wanted to push. I would love to join the lawsuit.
I would like to sue also and join every lawsuit to collect payment for years of being fed this poison under the care of doctors and big pharma we are all supposed to trust and odd that the FDA is not being sued also for having let this poison hit the streets..
Please send me an email with all opiates, oxy of both types, hydrocodone, Kadian, methadone and every other opiate used in post surgery….. 4 surgeries later and ill advice to send doctors on cruises and bonus trips makes me sick. Doctors hide behind being naive, but the people who developed every addictive drug, KNEW they were doing so.. it is all about the money, so the best way to punish them is to take their money…. some want a pound of flesh. I want a metric ton of it…. and when they get hit by the proverbial bus, I want to be the one driving it.
All of us would like to file a claim for opiate class action I owe for rehab myself but as far as I know only the state’s get a settlement and the victims are left holding the bills
I would like to be added to the lawsuit as well. Struggled with opiate addiction for 8 years. I’ve been clean the past 3 years by the grace of God
Add me. My husband passed away from overdose on oxytocin. And my daughter miscarried over the same drug.
My life is ruined because of opiates I have been an addict sine I had my first prescription age 14 I’m now 40 I suffer every single day and I pay dearly I’ve also been on suboxone addicted to that now too get too sick to get off of it because a Dr prescribed it to me for 4 years when it’s only supposed to be given for 2 weeks at the most come to find out my son was born addicted because my OBGYN gave me opiates my ENTIRE pregnancy and none of this was known yhen. This whole thing got so out of hand I’ve tried to put myself through rehab finished drug court successfully but went right back thousands and thousands of dollars gone. And no my insurance would not cover any of it there’s absolutely no hope or help for addict’s and I think this whole thing is just sad. I want to be compensated for this whole thing that my Dr,’s never once warned me about and did nothing but make sure I got good and hooked
I’ve been taking two opiate painkillers for 15 years. I am addicted by no choice of my own. This addiction has caused many issues in my everyday life that I struggle with. I never thought listening to my doctor would bring such a mess into my life and the lives of my family. Please add me.
Iv been addicted to opioids now for about 15 years, that was when my life came crashing down. Iv lost family members over opioids and due to opioids two of my sisters are addicted to heroin and one has been to prison 5 times now and lost her 3 kids and the other got her daughter addicted to heroin and she got her son taken away for life now. It has torn our whole family apart and our life’s will NEVER be the same. My Dr. got arrested and got straight out on bond and is now living comfortably on house arrest that im sure hes finished with now.
iVE BEEN ON OPIATES SINCE 1992 DUE TO AN INJURY MY EX HUSBAND STARTED. WITH A JAW AND NECK FRACTURE STARTED WITH LORATABS ADDED OXYCODONE THEN ADDED FENTAYNAL. PATCHES. FOR SEVERAL YEARS 15 PLUS I WAS ON ALL THREE DRUGS I WENT TO THE DR ( SAW A DIFFERENT DR AS MY DR WASNT AVAILABLE BUT IN SAME FACILITY) THREE YEARS AGO FOR MIGRAINS AS I HAD MIGRAINS FOR 19 DAYS IN A ROW, DR DIDNT LOOK SEE WHAT OTHER MEDS I WAS ON EVEN THOUGH SHE HAD MY CHART RIGHT THERE AND ORDERED BLOOD WORK AND CT SCAN. ORDERED A 2MG NUBAIN SHOT AND PHENAGREN SHOT I DROVE MYSELF HOME AND LAST THING I REMEMBER IS WALKING UP THE STEPS AT MY HOUSE. WOKE UP 7 DAYS LATER AFTER BEING IN A COMA AND HAVING A MASSIVE HEART ATTACK FROM OVERDOSE. THEY HAD TOLD MY FAMILY IF I WOKE UP I WOULD BE BRAIN DEAD BUT I PROBABLY WOULDNT WAKE UP. I DID AND 1 DAY LATER I WAS DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL BECAUSE I DIDNT HAVE INSURANCE.
TOLD MY REGULAR DR WHO HAS NEVER MENTIONED ANY OF WHAT WENT ON TO ME.. THAT I WANTED OFF THE OPIATES AND HIS COMMENT TO ME WAS ” WELL MAYBE THAT’S A GOOD IDEA” SO I TAPERED MYSELF OFF OF THEM JUST TOLD HIM WHAT TO GIVE ME AT EACH VISIT. WENT FROM 200MCG DURAGESIC, 10 OXY 30;S AND 10 LORATAB 10S A DAY MIND YOU!!!! TO 2 OXY 30S A DAY!! AND THEY DIDNT EVEN HAVE A DIAGNOSIS FOR MY PAIN. NO MRI WITH NO INSURANCE JUST MORE DRUGS!! I STARTED USING METH TO STAY AWAKE ENDED UP IN TREATMENT. CAN’T SAY MY PAIN IS MANAGED BECAUSE IT ISNT BUT I AM NO LONGER A GUINEA PIG TO THE DRUG COMPANIES. I LOST EVERYTHING I LOVED TO THEM THEY CHANGED THE COURSE OF MY ENTIRE ADULT LIFE DUE TO THEIR PUSHING THESE DRUGS ON THE DRS
PLEASE I BEG OF YOU TO GET ME INCLUDED IN THIS CASE. GIVE ME SOME HOPE OF ANY KIND OF FUTURE