Over $50 billion in opioid settlement payouts to local governments in the US have been made public, revealing the financial support provided by pharmaceutical companies.
The background: Companies like Johnson & Johnson, AmerisourceBergen, and Walmart are paying settlements from national lawsuits involving opioid painkillers.
* KFF Health News obtained documents showing exact dollar amounts allocated to local governments for 2022 and 2023 from four companies involved in national settlements.
* Settlement funds are meant to remediate the aggressive promotion of opioid painkillers, which fueled the overdose crisis.
Examples: Jefferson County, Kentucky, received $860,657.73 from three pharmaceutical distributors this year, while Los Angeles County was allocated $6.3 million from Janssen, Johnson & Johnson’s pharmaceutical subsidiary.
* Mendocino County, with one of California’s highest opioid overdose death rates, was allocated about $185,000.
Impact: Advocates believe transparency in this information is a “revolutionary” move that allows communities to better allocate resources and track funds to address the opioid crisis.
* Access to local-level payment data is crucial for communities in planning and implementing effective solutions and ensuring funds are spent appropriately.
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