Johnson & Johnson said on Saturday it will pay $263 million to resolve claims it fuelled an opioid epidemic in New York state and two of its largest counties.
The settlements remove the drugmaker from a jury trial scheduled to begin on Tuesday on Long Island, where several big opioid makers and distributors are also defendants.
Johnson & Johnson did not admit liability or wrongdoing in settling with New York state, and with Nassau and Suffolk counties. The $229.9 million state settlement also calls for J&J to stop selling the painkillers nationwide.
“The opioid epidemic has wreaked havoc” across the nation, New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “Johnson & Johnson helped fuel this fire.”
She said her focus remains “getting funds into communities devastated by opioids as quickly as possible.”
J&J said the settlements were consistent with its prior agreement to pay $5 billion to settle opioid claims by states, cities, counties and tribal governments nationwide.
The healthcare company and the largest US drug distributors — AmerisourceBergen Corp, Cardinal Health Inc and McKesson Corp — have proposed paying a combined $26 billion to end thousands of opioid lawsuits.