FRANKFORT, Ky. (December 22, 2022) – Attorney General Cameron today continued to deliver on his promise to fight back against the opioid epidemic by announcing agreements with pharmaceutical manufacturers Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries, Ltd. (Teva) and Allergan PLC. (Allergan) for the companies’ role in furthering the opioid epidemic. The agreements provide more than $114 million to Kentucky and settle claims that the companies fueled the opioid crisis by marketing, promoting, selling, and distributing opioids.
“While no amount of money makes up for the lives lost to the opioid epidemic, this agreement with Teva and Allergan will help pay for the support Kentuckians need to recover from this crisis,” said Attorney General Cameron. “I am thankful these companies have come to the negotiating table. Our office is committed to tackling this scourge, and this $114 million agreement moves us one step closer to ending the opioid crisis.”
Kentucky will receive over $71 million in the next 13 years from Teva and more than $42 million over seven years from Allergan, totaling more than $114 million. Initial payments are expected by the middle of 2023.
These funds will be allocated under the terms outlined in House Bill 427, distributing 50 percent to local governments and 50 percent to the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth’s portion of the settlement funds will be administered by the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission.
This agreement brings Kentucky’s total of settlement dollars from companies responsible for fueling the opioid epidemic to over $645 million.
Once final, the agreement will also resolve Kentucky’s pending lawsuit against Teva and Allergan in Fayette Circuit Court. In addition to payments, the settlements strictly limit Teva and Allergan’s marketing, promotion, sale, and distribution of opioids. The settlements also require the companies to make public millions of internal documents they produced in the litigation.
This is the second major nationwide opioid settlement that Attorney General Cameron has announced this month. Earlier this week, a $53 million agreement was reached with Walmart, settling allegations that the company contributed to the opioid epidemic by failing to implement appropriate policies, procedures, and controls relating to the dispensing of opioids at its stores.
On July 21, 2021, Attorney General Cameron announced an historic $26 billion agreement with three of the nation’s major pharmaceutical distributors and one manufacturer, which will provide $478 million to Kentucky.
Sadly, last year, U.S. opioid overdose deaths climbed to over 80,000. In 2021, Kentucky lost 2,250 residents to overdose deaths, and 90 percent of these deaths were related to opioids.
To read the agreement with Teva, click here, and to view a copy of the Allergan agreement, click here.