Opioid manufacturer agrees to $450 million settlement
CONCORD, N.H. - Endo International has agreed to provide up to $450 million to states participating in a lawsuit against the opioid maker for its role in the opioid crisis.
The agreement, which has yet to be approved by the court, also includes banning the promotion of Endo's opioids and requires Endo to release millions of documents detailing its role in the opioid crisis. Those documents will be published in a public online archive.
A multi-state lawsuit, including all six New England states, alleged that Endo boosted opioid sales by downplaying the risk of addiction and overplaying the benefits.
"New Hampshire remains committed to taking strong action to hold those responsible for this crisis accountable," said New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu. "This agreement with Endo will help provide further resources to Granite Staters who have been harmed by their actions."
Endo, an Ireland-based drugmaker with its U.S. headquarters in Malvern, Pennsylvania, makes generic and branded opioids including Percocet and Endocet, and also made Opana ER, which was withdrawn from the market in 2017. The company has filed for Chapter 11.
The negotiations are being led by New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, and Virginia. The settlement is also joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
