Bipartisan Group of AGs Reaches More Than $270 Million Agreement in Principle with Amneal Over Its Role in the Opioid Crisis
Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today, as part of a bipartisan group of attorneys general, announced a multistate settlement in principle with opioid manufacturer Amneal Pharmaceuticals (Amneal) for its role in fueling the nationwide crisis of opioid addictions and overdoses. Amneal produces several generic opioid products and was one of the largest manufacturers of opioids from 2006 to 2019, selling more than 9 billion pills.
Raoul and the attorneys general allege that Amneal knowingly failed to monitor and report suspicious orders placed by its customers, as it was required to do by federal law. The more than $270 million national settlement in principle will resolve investigations into the manufacturer’s role in the opioid epidemic.
“Too many families have lost loved ones to the opioid epidemic, and too many people have lost years of their lives to addiction,” Raoul said. “The companies that created and fueled this crisis must be held accountable for providing treatment and recovery resources to help those who suffer from opioid addiction. This settlement builds on the important progress we’ve already achieved through settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors.”
Amneal has agreed to provide $92.5 million in cash over 10 years and up to $180 million worth of naloxone nasal spray, an overdose treatment medication, to the participating states and local governments.
This settlement is the latest of Attorney General Raoul’s ongoing efforts to combat the opioid epidemic and hold accountable companies whose deceptive practices increased opioid prescriptions at the expense of public health. It comes after Raoul’s office reached multiple national settlements with opioid manufacturers and sellers. Currently, Illinois expects to receive more than $1.3 billion in settlement funds by 2038. If the Amneal settlement is finalized, funds to Illinois will be allocated according to the Illinois Opioid Allocation Agreement negotiated by Raoul’s office.
The settlement in principle was negotiated by the attorneys general of California, Delaware, New York, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia in coordination with an executive committee consisting of Raoul with the attorneys general of Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon.
Attorney General Raoul urges anyone who believes they or a loved one may be addicted to opioids to seek help by calling the Illinois Helpline for Opioids and Other Substances at 833-2FINDHELP, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
