McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen may have to pony up $21 billion to settle thousands of opioid lawsuits, The Hill reported Nov. 3.
In its quarterly report, Mckesson said it may pay about $8 billion of the total settlement over the next 18 years. The company was initially set to pay $6.68 billion in a settlement framework proposed last year.
Last October, the three companies proposed a combined $18 billion settlement to resolve about 3,200 lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson had also agreed to pay an additional $4 billion, but after pushback from local and state governments, the drugmaker in October agreed to pay $5 billion.
McKesson said settlement negotiations are ongoing, The Hill reported.
The lawsuits accuse the three pharma giants of deceptively marketing opioids and ignoring warning signs that opioids were being diverted for inappropriate use, according to The Hill.
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