Indiana expects to receive nearly $17 million in the latest opioid settlements with drug companies nationwide.
The nationwide settlements with eight drug companies amounts to about $720 million. Indiana will receive about $16.5 million, according to a news release from Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita.
The latest opioid-related settlement is the 11th reached by the state, with Indiana receiving about $1.1 billion in funds since 2021, Rokita said.
“Thousands of Hoosiers have lost their lives as a result of the opioid crisis,” Rokita said in the release. “We can never undo that tragic loss of life, but we can hold accountable those responsible for contributing to the situations culminating in these deaths. That’s what these settlements are all about, and I’m proud of the work of our team.”
The latest settlements were announced July 10. They were negotiated by California, Carolina, Colorado, New York, North Illinois, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia.
The eight drug companies are Alvogen, Amneal, Apotex, Hikma, Indivior, Mylan (now part of Viatris), Sun and Zydus.
Terms of the settlements include the following:
The companies cannot provide financial rewards or impose discipline on employees based on the volume of opioids sold.
The companies cannot manufacture, promote or distribute any product containing more than 40 mg of oxycodone per pill and cannot in most circumstances offer discounts, coupons or rebates for opioids.
The companies cannot provide funding or grants to third parties for the promotion of opioids and cannot engage in any lobbying related to opioids.
The companies, except for Indivior, are subject to suspicious order monitoring requirements similar to other opioid manufacturer settlements. Indivior primarily makes opioid use disorder treatments, not opioids, and has agreed not to make or sell any opioid products for the next 10 years.
In June, Rokita said he and 55 other attorneys general had secured a $7.4 billion settlement with the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma, marking the largest settlement to date tied to the opioid crisis.
The rate of opioid prescribing peaked in Indiana in 2012, according to the Attorney General’s Office, when, on average, there were 112 opioid prescriptions for every 100 residents, The Indiana Lawyer reported.