Attorney General Knudsen announces $2.5 million opioid settlement with eight drug makers

HELENA – Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced today that Montana will receive $2.5 million from in a settlement with eight opioid drug makers to resolve their roles in the nation’s opioid epidemic.

Montana will receive $2.5 million of the total $720 million national settlement that will be distributed among all 50 states and U.S. territories. The settlement money will be used for opioid abatement which could include programs like opioid use disorder treatment, providing Narcan to emergency or first responders, and drug treatment courts for defendants with opioid-related substance abuse problems or histories.

“As Attorney General, I will continue to hold those who fueled the opioid crisis accountable. Opioids have taken lives and destroyed communities across Montana and the entire country. We will put this money to good use to save lives and stop addiction,” Attorney General Knudsen said.

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

• Mylan (now part of Viatris): $284,447,916 paid over nine years
• Hikma: $95,818,293 paid over one to four years
• Amneal: $71,751,010 paid over 10 years
• Apotex: $63,682,369 paid in a single year
• Indivior: $38,022,450 paid over four years
• Sun: $30,992,087 paid over one to four years
• Alvogen: $18,680,162 paid in a single year
• Zydus: $14,859,220 paid in a single year

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 opioid epidemic has led to hundreds of prescription overdose deaths in Montana over the last 20 years. These deaths—and the impacts on thousands of Montanans who have struggled with opioid addiction—have created considerable costs for our health care, child welfare, and criminal justice systems. More significant than the dollars and cents in damage to the state, the impact on opioid addition, substance use, and overdose deaths have torn families apart, damaged relationships, and devastated communities.

Attorney General Knudsen has been combatting the opioid crisis in Montana since taking office. In January, he announced a $16 million opioid settlement with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family. In November, he announced a $4 million opioid settlement with Kroger. In September, he announced a program to put life-saving opioid reversal kits in middle and high schools across Montana.