Continuing his efforts to combat what he describes as Kentucky’s worst man-made crisis, Attorney General Russell Coleman announced on Monday his office had secured $14.4 million in additional settlement dollars from opioid manufacturers.
“These companies preyed on the people of Kentucky and profited off our pain. On behalf of the families we serve, our Office will continue holding them accountable,” Coleman said. “While these resources won’t fill the empty seats at Kentucky dinner tables, they will help fuel prevention, treatment and recovery efforts across our Commonwealth and help save lives from the scourge of addiction.”
As part of the agreement, seven of the companies, Alygoen, Amneal, Apotex, Hikma, Mylan, Sun, and Zydus are prohibited from promoting or marketing opioids and opioid products and making or selling any product that contains more than 40 mg of oxycodone per pill. Those companies will also be required to create a monitoring and reporting system that would flag suspicious orders.
An eighth company, Indivior, meanwhile, has agreed not to 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.
Last month, Coleman announced that the state has now surpassed more than $1 billion in settlement dollars, thanks to a $73.1 million settlement with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family. Earlier this year, Coleman also reached a $110 million settlement with Kroger.
According to the system created by Kentucky’s General Assembly, 50 percent of the settlement funds will be distributed by the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission. Last week, Coleman announced the Commission’s latest funding opportunity to support research that addresses the drug epidemic in Kentucky. The other half of the settlement funds are distributed to cities and counties according to a predetermined formula.
The latest settlement of $14.4 million is part of a larger, $720 million nationwide settlement involving multiple attorneys general offices.
