Alaska to Receive Approximately $1.8 Million from Opioid Settlement

Attorney General Treg Taylor announced on July 10 that the State of Alaska would receive approximately $1.8 million following a nationwide settlement with multiple opioid manufacturers.

According to a press release, the defendants in this settlement have agreed to a nationwide total of approximately $720 million. The eight drug makers involved manufactured opioid pills that contributed to the nationwide opioid crisis. “Based on the overwhelming participation by Attorneys General across the country, all eight defendants have agreed to proceed with a sign-on period for local governments.”

Including this new settlement, Alaska has obtained settlements committing nearly $102 million in funds from companies that helped fuel the opioid epidemic.

“With AK having the highest overdose rates in the nation in 2023, it is imperative to use this funding to turn the corner. And, those overdoses are being driven by the powerful synthetic drug fentanyl,” said Michael Carson, a longtime advocate for substance use disorder and recovery, founding the Mat-Su Opioid Task Force and now serving as chair for the Mat-Su Youth Mental and Behavioral Health Task Force. “I am excited about the potential ‘upstream primary prevention,’ work with youth. I believe we have cut off the flow into the river of addiction.”

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

In addition to these abatement payments, several of the settlements allow states to receive free pharmaceutical products or cash in lieu of this product. 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 putting 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 settlements were negotiated by North Carolina, California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia.

“We have lost too many friends, family and neighbors to this opioid epidemic. It will take prevention, treatment, same day access, recovery and harm reduction all running parallel and simultaneously.”