Attorney General Brenna Bird Helps Secure $720 Million from Eight Opioid Drug Makers

DES MOINES – Attorney General Brenna Bird today announced approximately $720 million nationwide in settlements with eight drug makers that manufactured opioid pills and worsened the nationwide opioid crisis. 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. Iowa could receive up to $5.4 million in all.  

“This financial settlement is a win because Iowa will use the funds to continue the fight against opioid addiction,” said Attorney General Bird. “However, the true victory is that these companies are prohibited from promoting and marketing the products that have taken lives and changed families forever.”     

The eight defendants and the total amount they will pay in funds to address the opioid crisis as part of the deal are:   

In addition to those funds, several of the settlements allow states to receive pharmaceutical products treating opioid overdoses or opioid use disorder. Alternatively, states can elect to receive cash in lieu of those pharmaceutical products. Additionally, seven of the companies (not including Indivior) are prohibited from promoting or marketing opioids and opioid products, making or selling any product that contains more than 40 mg of oxycodone per pill, and are required to put in place a monitoring and reporting system for suspicious orders. Indivior has agreed to not manufacture or sell opioid products for the next 10 years, but it will be able to continue marketing and selling medications to treat opioid use disorder.   

The settlements were negotiated by North Carolina, California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia. 

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For More Information:

Jen Green 

jen.green@ag.iowa.gov