Attorney General Alan Wilson announced a settlement totaling approximately $720 million with eight opioid drug manufacturers. This settlement addresses the companies’ roles in exacerbating the nationwide opioid crisis. South Carolina could receive up to $10 million from this agreement.
“The opioid epidemic has devastated tens of thousands of families in South Carolina and across the country, and we’ve been working for years to hold the companies responsible for it accountable,” said Attorney General Wilson. “The money from these settlements, along with other settlements we’ve announced before, will go toward opioid treatment programs and efforts to prevent future victims of opioid addiction.”
The settlement involves payments to address the crisis and offers states free pharmaceutical products or cash alternatives. Seven companies are prohibited from promoting opioids or selling products containing more than 40 mg of oxycodone per pill. They must also implement monitoring systems for suspicious orders. Indivior agreed not to manufacture or sell opioid products for ten years but can continue marketing medications for treating opioid use disorder.
Negotiations were led by North Carolina, California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia.
