J&J reach $20.4m settlement agreement over opioid trial
Johnson & Johnson have reached a settlement with two Ohio counties over its role in the opioid crisis, removing the company from the trial due to begin later this month.
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and its Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies have announced a settlement agreement with the Ohio counties of Cuyahoga and Summit over the opioid crisis claims.
The agreement marks the fourth company to reach a settlement over the opioid crisis”
The company sold painkillers Duragesic and Nucynta, considered to have played a role in the epidemic.
A combined settlement of $10 million will be payed to the counties, which removes the company from the list of defendants at the federal trial due to begin on 21 October. However, J&J emphasises that the payment is not an admission of liability for its role in the opioid crisis.
J&J has also agreed to reimburse $5 million of the counties’ legal and other expenses incurred in preparation for the trial. A further $5.4 million will be directed towards charitable contributions to non-profit organisations related to opioid programmes in the two counties.
“The settlement allows the company to avoid the resource demands and uncertainty of a trial as it continues to seek meaningful progress in addressing the nation’s opioid crisis,” J&J said in a statement.
The agreement marks the fourth company to reach a settlement over the opioid crisis ahead of trial.
