COVID Vaccine Maker Johnson & Johnson To Pay $26 Billion As Settlement For Causing Opioid Epidemic

The COVID-19 vaccine maker Johnson & Johnson and others is set to pay $26 billion as settlement for causing the Opioid Epidemic.

US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson and America’s three biggest drug distributors have agreed to pay a combined $26 billion to end the legal liability for their roles in spurring the nation’s opioid crisis.

Attorneys general from seven states announced the deal on Wednesday, saying that Johnson & Johnson would pay $5 billion and distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergen about $21 billion combined.

The money will be paid out over time – nine years for Johnson & Johnson and 18 years in the case of the distributors – and will go to states that agree to accept the settlement and forgo pursuing their own lawsuits against the companies.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, whose state will receive more than $500 million, said the agreement fulfilled her promise of making companies that got rich off ...

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