St. Cloud Receives $1.6 Million in Drug Settlement

(KNSI) – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Friday that opioid manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and the nation’s three largest opioid manufacturers – Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen – have agreed to a $26 billion settlement with more than 4000 state and local governments across the country.

According to a press release from the Attorney General’s Office, Minnesota will receive $303 million over the 18-year term of the settlements. All Minnesota funds will be used for prevention and other strategies to address the opioid epidemic.

St. Cloud’s share of the settlement is over $1.6 million, with Stearn’s County receiving an additional $5 million. All 87 counties in Minnesota and 143 cities have signed onto the settlements. For a complete list of the settlement breakdown throughout Minnesota, click here.

In addition, Johnson & Johnson is required to stop selling opioids and share clinical trial data.

Cardinal Health, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen will establish a centralized clearinghouse to provide data about where drugs are going and stop pharmacies from receiving shipments.

For more on the $26 billion settlement, click here.

___