Missouri Set to Receive $458 Million From Opioid Settlement With J&J and Three Distributors

Missouri will receive $458 million to pay for drug treatment and prevention programs under a settlement with Johnson & Johnson and three other drug companies, officials announced on Friday.

The other defendants are the distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen. Dozens of state and local jurisdictions had sued the companies, alleging they downplayed how addictive opioid painkillers are.

All 114 of the state's counties signed on to the agreement, which guarantees the maximum payout. In exchange, the counties agree to drop their individual lawsuits against the companies over their role in the opioid epidemic. A spokesman for the attorney general's office said every county that had sued needed to join in order to unlock the settlement.

Attorney General Eric Schmitt said nearly 150 cities and counties participated, about 100 of which had filed suit. "We had to get all the frogs in the wheelbarrow, as they say," he said. "Everybody's included, and that's why we were able to maximize the settlement."

Schmitt said the companies misrepresented the addictive nature of the drugs. "These were being prescribed because of what these manufacturers and distributors were telling people," he said. "You had countless people who became addicted to it." He added that nothing will reverse the damage of the crisis, but that the money would bring badly needed resources to the people and communities hit hardest.

Under the deal's terms, 60% of the money goes to the state and 40% to counties. The state's share will be held in a repository controlled by state agencies, and treatment providers and law enforcement will be able to access it through grants. Schmitt said the proceeds will go directly to addiction treatment and prevention.

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said the funds would help the city strengthen its treatment and prevention work. "St. Louis families deserve justice for the irreparable damage the opioid crisis has inflicted on our homes and communities," she said. St. Louis County Executive Sam Page called the settlement a major moment in the regional fight against addiction but said it is only a beginning, noting the county has cases pending against other defendants in the opioid industry.

Felisha Richards, a project director at Four Rivers, a federally supported health clinic in Rolla, said the money is sorely needed. Starting a medication-first treatment program is easy and not very costly, she said, but child care, housing, transportation and other services that people need to stay in recovery are expensive. She hopes the state will be flexible in distributing the funds.

As part of the settlement, Johnson & Johnson admits no wrongdoing. Richards said she considers that a fair trade for access to the money. "If that's what they need to get the funding moving, that's what they need to do," she said, adding that people can "read between the lines" when they see the dollar amount nationally.