SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey has joined several other states in a settlement worth tens of billions of dollars from pharmaceutical companies over the opioid epidemic.
With the settlement comes a lot of new rules about where these dangerous drugs are going. Data must be shared to identify potential abuses in the distribution system, and there will be additional scrutiny for suspicious opioid orders.
Under the agreement, the companies, including Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson, will pay $26 billion in fines over the next 10 to 18 years.
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In addition to the money, which will fund addiction treatment, recovery and prevention, acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew Bruck said J&J has also agreed to stop selling, promoting and lobbying for opioids.
For the settlements to take effect, a large number of states and county and municipal governments will need to agree to the proposed terms. As such, New Jersey could receive more than $600 million from the drug companies.
“The opioid crisis has devastated too many New Jersey families,” said Gov. Phil Murphy in a statement. “By holding these pharmaceutical distributors accountable for their deplorable actions in fueling the marketing and sale of opioids, we are preventing them from creating another drug crisis in the future. The funds received from this settlement will aid critical opioid use disorder resources and programs, which will strengthen our ability to save lives by preventing overdose deaths and connecting New Jerseyans to supports and treatment when they need it most.”
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“No amount of money will ever be enough to heal the wounds caused by this opioid crisis,” added Bruck. “But these settlements will bring hundreds of millions of dollars into New Jersey to fund life-saving addiction prevention, treatment, and recovery programs, and will require these drug companies to change their business practices so that this never happens again.”
New Jersey has already entered three other agreements this year with individuals and companies for their roles in the drug crisis.
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