New York to begin providing up to $ 1.5 billion to communities across the state to combat the opioid crisis

NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James began her state tour called “HealNY“, O “Sana New York “, in which it will begin to deliver the first part of the funds of up to $ 1.5 billion to combat the opioid epidemic in the state.

The funds, which will go to the 62 counties of the 10 regions of the state, come from different settlements that the prosecutor has negotiated after its March 2019 lawsuit against the various manufacturers and distributors responsible for the opioid crisis. The funds will go towards prevention, treatment and recovery programs to combat the opioid crisis.

“For more than two decades, New Yorkers have experienced the dire and deadly effects of opioids, but today we are beginning the process of delivering up to $ 1.5 billion to New York’s 62 counties to help our communities rebuild,” he said James. “Today, we begin to heal New York with these funds that will help turn the tide of the opioid crisis. As we embark on a tour of the state, we ensure that each region and each county receives financial assistance to recover from the devastation that opioids have inflicted on them. The funds will be used to combat this epidemic with investments in prevention, treatment and recovery. While no amount of money will compensate for the millions of addictions, the hundreds of thousands of deaths, or the countless families ravaged by opioids, this money will be vital to preventing future devastation. “

The 2019 prosecutor’s lawsuit was, at the time, the nation’s largest lawsuit against the various opioid manufacturers and distributors. These manufacturers and distributors were responsible for marketing opioids to physicians, hospitals, health care systems, and others, leading to over-prescribing of the drugs in New York and the rest of the country for the past two decades. The manufacturers named in the complaint included Purdue Pharma and its affiliates, as well as family members Sackler (Purdue owners) and the trusts they control; Janssen Pharmaceuticals and its affiliates (including its parent company Johnson & Johnson); Mallinckrodt LLC and its affiliates; Endo Health Solutions and its affiliates; Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. and its affiliates; and Allergan Finance, LLC and its affiliates.

The distributors named in the complaint were McKesson Corporation, Cardinal Health Inc., Amerisource Bergen Drug Corporation, and Rochester Drug Cooperative Inc.

Last month, an agreement with Endo was announced that has already provided $ 50 million to New York State and Nassau and Suffolk counties to combat the opioid crisis and remove the opioid maker from New York’s ongoing opioid trial. . Additionally, a settlement last month secured more than $ 4.5 billion from the Sackler family and the foundations they control. In July, a settlement was announced with McKesson, Cardinal Health, and Amerisource Bergen that will deliver up to $ 1 billion to the state of New York to fight the opioid epidemic. In June, a deal was announced that ended Johnson & Johnson’s nationwide sale of opioids and will deliver $ 230 million to New York alone. The deals with Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, Cardinal Health and Amerisource Bergen have a global value of approximately $ 26 billion.

The trial against the remaining two defendants, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA and Allergan Finance, is currently ongoing and continues in state court.

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