US Companies Settle Claims Linked to Opioid Crisis

Four of the largest U.S. corporations have agreed to pay roughly $26 billion to settle lawsuits linked to claims their business practices helped fuel the deadly opioid crisis. Johnson & Johnson, the consumer products and health giant which manufactured generic opioid medications, will contribute $5 billion to the settlement. The company announced in 2020 it would get out of the prescription opioid business in the U.S. altogether. Three massive drug wholesalers — AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson — will pay a combined $21 billion. None of the firms acknowledged any wrongdoing for their role manufacturing and distributing large quantities of pain medications at a time when opioid addiction and overdoses were surging.