Montgomery, AL – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced Friday that the state will take part in a multistate settlement involving eight drug manufacturers linked to the opioid crisis. The agreement, part of a broader national settlement, aims to hold these companies accountable for their role in the distribution and marketing of opioid pills that contributed to the nationwide public health emergency.
With full participation from local governments, public hospitals, and other agencies, Alabama is expected to receive approximately $11.725 million in abatement funds. These funds will support opioid remediation efforts across the state, including prevention, treatment, and recovery initiatives.
“This settlement marks another pivotal achievement in Alabama’s aggressive and uniquely successful legal strategy to hold opioid manufacturers, distributors, and others accountable,” said Attorney General Marshall. “Our states have faced unimaginable loss due to the widespread abuse and misuse of opioids, and we have responded with decisive legal action.”
The eight companies and the amounts they will pay into the nationwide settlement are:
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Mylan (now part of Viatris): $284.4 million over nine years
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Hikma: $95.8 million over one to four years
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Amneal: $71.7 million over ten years
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Apotex: $63.7 million in a single year
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Indivior: $38 million over four years
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Sun: $31 million over one to four years
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Alvogen: $18.7 million in a single year
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Zydus: $14.9 million in a single year
In addition to financial payments, several companies have agreed to non-monetary terms intended to limit the future risk of opioid misuse. Seven of the eight companies (excluding Indivior) are now prohibited from marketing opioid products, manufacturing pills containing more than 40 mg of oxycodone, and must implement robust monitoring systems to track suspicious orders.
Indivior, a company that manufactures treatment options for opioid use disorder, has agreed not to produce or sell any opioid products for the next decade, while maintaining its role in the treatment space.
The funds received by Alabama will be directed toward strategies that address opioid misuse and overdose prevention. The settlement follows several previous legal efforts by the state to secure compensation and accountability from pharmaceutical companies and distributors involved in the opioid epidemic.
