Big pharma settlement may benefit Minnesota cities

In 2019, fatal opioid overdoses rose to 427, the highest number since the department of health began tracking data in 2000.

In early September, Pharmaceutical manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and three large pharmaceutical distributors, McKesson Corp, AmerisourceBergen Corp and Cardinal Health Inc, decided to proceed with a $26 billion settlement to resolve the claims in over 3,000 opioid crisis-related suits across the U.S.

Forty-two states joined the settlement, including Minnesota. Participating states are due to receive 85 percent of the settlement and local governments are due to receive 15 percent, according to the Minnesota Attorney General’s office.