MO, KS were on $102.5M opioid treatment drug settlement. How much does each state get?
Missouri will get $1.8 million and Kansas will get $1.1 million as part of a $102.5 million settlement with opioid disorder treatment manufacturer Indivior announced Friday.
The two states were among 41 states and the District of Columbia that filed a complaint in 2016 against the company, which makes the opioid treatment drug Suboxone. The complaint alleged that the company stifled competition by keeping generic versions of the opioid-treatment medication off the market.
“We’ve all seen the effects that the opioid epidemic has had on our communities, and while it raged on, several major companies schemed their way into profiting from it,” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, said in a statement. “Now, this lifesaving drug will be more readily available for those who need it, and Missourians can continue to recover from the opioid epidemic that has ravaged our state.”
Lynette Bakker, Kansas’ first assistant attorney general, said Kansans rely on a competitive market to lower the costs of necessary medications.
“This settlement will help ensure a competitive market, which will benefit all Kansans, including those who rely on this medication to treat opioid use disorder,” Bakker said in a statement.
The settlement agreement, which will be submitted to the court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for approval, requires Indivior to pay the 41 states $102.5 million.
Indivior is also required to abide by a set of terms that, according to Bailey’s office, ensure that the company cannot engage in the illegal conduct it was accused of conducting.
