Washington could receive $16 million as part of nationwide opioid settlements

Washington could get at least $16 million as part of nationwide opioid settlements.

Eight drug makers will pay out $720 million across the U.S. for their role in manufacturing opioid pills and worsening the drug crisis, according to a news release from the Washington State Attorney General’s Office on Thursday.

“Based on the overwhelming participation by attorneys general across the country, all eight defendants have agreed to proceed with a sign-on period for local governments,” the attorney’s office stated.

Washington’s payout from opioid settlements will be split in half

The payout to Washington will be split in half, with part of it going to state government and the rest distributed among local governments to help fight opioid abuse. The total amount will be determined by the number of eligible Washington counties and cities that join the settlements, along with other conditions, according to the attorney’s office.

In addition to the payments, some settlements allow states to opt for free pharmaceutical products or a cash alternative.

The eight defendants include Mylan (now part of Viatris), Hikma, Amneal, Apotex, Indivior, Sun, Alvogen, and Zydus.

All of the companies, except Indivior, are prohibited from promoting or marketing opioids and opioid products. They are also not allowed to make or sell any product that contains more than 40 milligrams of oxycodone per pill and must put a monitoring and reporting system in place for suspicious orders.

Indivior agreed to not manufacture or sell opioid products for the next 10 years but is allowed to continue marketing and selling medications to treat opioid use disorder, the attorney’s office noted.

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