Minnesota could receive more than $9 million from a settlement with eight opioid manufacturers that contributed to the nationwide opioid crisis, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.
In total, the eight companies settled for $720 million, the office said in a statement Thursday. Up to $9.37 million could be allocated to Minnesota, which would total $633 million in settlement payments for the state from opioid companies in recent years.
“No amount of money can undo the tremendous harm that opioid manufacturers and peddlers have inflicted on families across Minnesota,” Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a news release. “However, it is still important that we hold wrongdoers accountable for their actions and help those who are suffering, which these settlements do.”
In Minnesota, three-quarters of opioid settlement funds are allocated toward city and county governments, while the remainder is allocated to the state government. The funds are used for treatment, prevention and harm reduction programs.
The eight companies involved in the most recent settlement are Mylan N.V., Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Apotex Inc., Indivior, Sun Pharma, Alvogen and Zydus.
As part of the settlement, all the companies except for Indivior are prohibited from promoting or marketing opioid products, making or selling any product containing more than 40 milligrams of oxycodone per pill, and are required to create a monitoring system for suspicious orders. Indivior cannot make or sell opioid products for 10 years.
