According to a Tuesday court filing, Native American tribes reached agreements with Johnson & Johnson and three of the nation’s largest drug distributors to settle the opioid toll.
The settlements with Johnson & Johnson, distribution companies AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health were laid out in a U.S. District Court filing. Some details remain to be worked out.
The settlements will allow all federally recognized tribes to take part, even if they have not sued over opioids. There could also be settlements between other companies in the industry or tribes that have been hard hit by the opioid overdose crisis.
W. Ron Allen is the chairman of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Washington. He called it a huge deal for tribes to settle their own settlement. This contrasts with the 1990s tobacco industry deals that excluded Native American groups.
Allen said that he doesn’t think his tribe of 550 members will get much from the settlement. However, it will aid in their efforts to create a center for healing and addiction to opioids.
He said, “Every penny counts. So we’ll take and run with it.”
According to one study, Native Americans had the highest rate per capita of opioid overdoses of any population in 2015, according to the settlement.
Douglas Yankton (chairman of Spirit Lake Nation in North Dakota) stated in a statement that the money that will flow to tribes as part of this settlement will be used to fund culturally appropriate, crucial opioid treatment services.
Over 400 tribes and intertribal organisations representing more than 80% of tribal citizens have filed lawsuits over opioids.
Johnson & Johnson, a New Jersey-based company that sold opioids including Duragesic and Nucynta, said Tuesday in a statement that it is not an admission or denial of liability.
AmerisourceBergen is based in Conshohocken in Pennsylvania. It stated in a statement that it will speed up help for communities and allow the company to focus on the pharmaceutical supply chains.
Cardinal is based in Columbus, Ohio. McKesson is based at Irving, Texas.
Johnson & Johnson would be paying $150 million over the two-year period. Cardinal and AmerisourceBergen McKesson would each contribute $440 million over seven years.
Each of the 574 federally recognised tribes could choose to participate, but they would have to use the money for the opioid epidemic.
According to Tara Sutton, Tara Sutton is a lawyer representing 28 tribes and said that the agreement would be in effect once 95% of tribes with lawsuits against companies agree to the settlement.
Sutton stated that settlements are being made between the tribes and companies involved with opioids.
These deals are separate from the $75,000,000 one that the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and three distribution companies made last year in advance of a trial.
These same four companies are close to the final stages for approval of settlements in the amount of $26 billion with local and state governments across the U.S. They will have to decide by the end of this month if enough government entities have agreed to continue with the agreement.
The larger settlements will provide the money needed to support tribes.
Companies have accumulated over the years more than $40 billion in settlements, penalties, and fines for their involvement in opioid addiction.
In the last two decades, more than 500,000 Americans have died from prescription and illicit drugs like OxyContin.
