The Israeli pharmaceutical company Teva was a lesser-known manufacturer of prescription painkillers during the height of the opioid epidemic, but it was one of the largest makers of generic versions of the drug that fuelled the crisis and spiraling overdoses. Now, Teva has reached a tentative $4.25 billion settlement deal to end thousands of lawsuits brought by local governments, states, and tribes for contributing to the deadly epidemic that led to more than 108,000 overdoses last year. Teva is among many drug makers—including Purdue Pharma—that have reached settlements in a complex web of lawsuits and trials and settlement arrangements that are now wending their way to a close. If the deal is approved, Teva will make payouts over 13 years to fund opioid prevention and treatment programs, or overdose reversal medications. New York is one state that hasn’t signed on to the deal, after winning a civil jury trial against Teva last year, but is still in talks with the company. As the thousands of cases come to a close, with billions of dollars being directed to state and local governments, it’s critical to provide oversight of what happens to the money, and how it is used and distributed to drug treatment providers.
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Rosenthal Center for AddictIon Studies