McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen have proposed paying $10 billion to settle state lawsuits that accuse the companies of helping to fuel the opioid epidemic, according to Bloomberg.
The companies made the proposal as part of a discussion with a group of state attorneys general, people familiar with the negotiations told Bloomberg.
It is the first time in two years of discussions that a dollar figure was suggested to resolve the mounting lawsuits.
The National Association of Attorneys General, which is handling negotiations for more than 35 states, countered the $10 billion settlement proposal with a demand for $45 billion to cover the costs of opioid addiction.
Any settlement made would be paid over decades and would only cover state lawsuits.
The distributors face almost 2,000 more lawsuits from cities and counties across the U.S.
Read the full report here.
More articles on opioids:
2% of US women continue using opioids after childbirth, study finds
CDC: Drug overdose death rate nearly quadrupled in past 2 decades
How Hospital for Special Surgery prescribed 500K fewer opioid pills in 18 months