Source: Health Policy Institute of Ohio
Ohio and other states reached a $26 billion settlement with the three largest drug distributors as well as manufacturer Johnson & Johnson (J&J) that is expected to surge cash into opioid treatment and prevention programs (Source: “Ohio Could Get $1B from Multibillion Dollar Deal with Opiate Maker and Three Distributors,” The Columbus Dispatch, July 21, 2021).
Ohio’s cut of the cash could hit $1.03 billion if local jurisdictions sign onto the agreement, according to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office.
The agreement comes after nearly four years of negotiations. Under the settlement, J&J will pay up to $5 billion over nine years and the three distributors (McKesson Corp., AmerisourceBergen, and Ohio-based Cardinal Health, Inc.) will collectively pay up to $21 billion over 17 years.
In March 2020, Mr. Yost and Governor Mike DeWine announced that local governments had signed off on a plan on how opioid settlement money would be divvied up. The OneOhio agreement calls for 30% of the money to be earmarked for community recovery programs at the local level, 55% for a statewide foundation, and 15% to the state.