“Many details need to be worked out, but this framework is an important step in addressing the crisis,” Miller said. “Any settlement must provide significant funds and treatment drugs to help people recover, as well as include requirements on the companies to prevent more addiction and death.”
The drug manufacturers — Johnson & Johnson and Teva — and distributors — Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen — have agreed to the settlement in principle. The deal includes $22 billion in cash over 18 years and $26 billion in medication assisted treatment drugs and their distribution over 10 years.
The state of Iowa and cities and counties would receive a share of the $22 billion in cash to take action to abate the crisis, including providing addiction treatment, community paramedic services, drug courts, and other activities. The distribution of cash will be based on a formula that will be finalized.
A bipartisan group of attorneys general launched an investigation into the distributors that sought information related to whether McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Cardinal fulfilled their legal duty to raise red flags about pharmacies’ suspicious drug orders.
The investigation into the two manufacturers, Johnson & Johnson and Teva, centered on the possibility that patients and doctors were misled about the addictive nature of opioid drugs.
Miller’s office has sued another opioid manufacturer, Purdue Pharma, and its former chairman, Richard Sackler. That case is now in bankruptcy court. “We will continue to work to hold Purdue and the Sackler family accountable,” Miller said. “Meanwhile, the settlement with the other companies offers the opportunity to begin getting resources to Iowans who have suffered due to the opioid crisis.”
“The investigation into the two manufacturers, Johnson & Johnson and Teva, centered on the possibility that patients and doctors were misled about the addictive nature of opioid drugs.”
Well, I doubt they could have been misled,just a quick search found this (for those of you who can’t figure it out, morphine is made extracted from crude opium):
One of the first careful studies of morphine addiction was made in 1875 by Levinstein, who identified key elements in opiate addiction that would interest researchers: the fixation on the drug that made it the highest priority even when the user’s life situation was deteriorating, and the curious phenomenon of withdrawal that could be reversed quickly by giving more opiate (Levinstein, 1878).
Yes folks, we have known for 140 years. It is taught in med school and in training to be a pharmacist.
I’m still waiting for my 20 dollar rebate he sued microsoft for. Did he gave it to the deep state. miller needs to be audited.
How come I have yet to see any action taken against the doctors who prescribed these drugs?
After all, drug makers don’t write the prescriptions, neither do the distributors or pharmacies.
And finally, it is well known that opioids are addictive. Just look at Heroin, known for over half a century as being an addictive substance that has ruined lives.
Even if the companies who make it, distribute it, fill prescriptions for it, and doctors who prescribe it, do not mention any side effects, every person with any lick of common sense should know about opium. opiates, and Heroin.
Most people trust their doctors to make the right decision when writing them a prescription. Some people become addicted after a short time to a drug prescribed for pain, some people don’t become addicted even after a long time of use. Many addicts use multiple doctors for their scrips. What is needed is a system to track those who switch doctors to get prescriptions. Also what is needed is a better system to track the pills once they leave the manufacturer and travel to the distribution center.