State gets $14.4 million more in opioid settlement with 8 manufacturers

Kentucky Health News

Attorney General Russell Coleman announced July 14 that his office had secured $14.4 million in additional settlement dollars from opioid manufacturers.

“These companies preyed on the people of Kentucky and profited off our pain. On behalf of the families we serve, our office will continue holding them accountable,” Coleman said in a news release. “While these resources won’t fill the empty seats at Kentucky dinner tables, they will help fuel prevention, treatment and recovery efforts across our commonwealth and help save lives from the scourge of addiction.”

As part of the agreement, the release says seven of the companies, Alygoen, Amneal, Apotex, Hikma, Mylan, Sun and Zydus are prohibited from promoting or marketing opioids and opioid products and making or selling any product that contains more than 40mg of oxycodone per pill. Those companies also will be required to create a monitoring and reporting system that would flag suspicious orders.

In addition, an eighth company, Indivior, has agreed not to manufacture or sell opioid products for the next 10 years, but it will be able to continue marketing and selling medications to treat opioid use disorder.

Last month, Coleman announced that Kentucky surpassed more than $1 billion in settlement dollars, thanks to a $73.1 million settlement with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family. Earlier this year, Coleman also reached a $110 million settlement with Kroger, according to the release.

The latest settlement of $14.4 million is part of a larger, $720 million nationwide settlement involving multiple attorneys’ general offices.

In Kentucky, half the settlement money is being distributed among cities and counties, and the other half is controlled by the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission, staffed by Coleman’s office.