Reckitt Benckiser Group, a U.K. consumer goods company, will pay $1.4 billion to resolve allegations that the company profited by deceiving healthcare providers about the safety of its opioid-addiction treatment, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The company struck a deal with the U.S. Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission to resolve charges related to the marketing and sales of Suboxone Film.
Federal prosecutors claimed that Reckitt "illegally obtained billions of dollars in revenue" by tricking healthcare providers into believing that Suboxone is safer and less susceptible to abuse than similar drugs although its active ingredient is an opioid.
The settlement is the largest financial penalty issued that's tied to the opioid crisis, according to the report.
Suboxone film is used to treat addiction to other drugs like heroin. It's made by Reckitt's former pharma arm, Indivior, which became a stand-alone company in 2014.