The state of Florida will receive more than 1.3 billion dollars as part of a 26-billion-dollar national opioid settlement between three pharmaceutical distributors and one manufacturer.
The settlement between opioid distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson as well as manufacturer Johnson & Johnson follows years of efforts by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office as well as 13 other state attorneys general. The settlement resolves litigation over the companies’ roles in creating and fueling the opioid epidemic. Moody says money from the agreement will be spent on drug prevention measures as well as opioid treatment and recovery services, adding 21 Floridians die every day due to opioid overdoses. “We are so excited that we will be getting much-needed resources into our state, to start helping us recover as soon as possible.” Last year, Florida ranked second in the nation, behind only California, in the number of drug overdose deaths. Going forward, the settlement will also require the three opioid distributors to create a database showing exactly where drugs are being sent and how often, making it easier to detect suspiciously large orders. Johnson & Johnson will be required to stop selling opioids for 10 years.
Opioid Settlement Will Bring $1.3 Billion to Florida
