CT to Receive $300 Million from $26 Billion Settlement From Opioid Litigation: Attorney General

Attorney General William Tong said there is a $26 billion agreement with pharmaceutical distributors Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen and manufacturer Johnson & Johnson connected to opioid litigation and Connecticut will receive approximately $300 million as part of the settlement.

Tong, along with officials from New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Tennessee and Louisiana, announced the settlement over Zoom at 2 p.m.

Tong said the settlement will be paid out over 18 years, with funds directed to opioid abatement, including expanding access to opioid use disorder prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery.

Municipalities will receive 15 percent of the state’s allocation.

State funds will be distributed through a state Opioid Recovery & Remediation Fund Advisory Council, administered by the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.

“No money will ever match the trauma and tragedy of losing a parent or child to opioid addiction, but it is my sincere hope that with these funds and strong new safeguards we can begin to turn the tide on this epidemic,” Tong said in a statement.

This settlement will provide us with the resources to continue combatting the long-lasting and destructive ripple effects of this epidemic," DMHAS Acting Commissioner Nancy Navarretta said in a statement. "Working to eradicate the opioid crisis requires a multifaceted approach inclusive of prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support services. Resources will help us amplify our community and state partnerships to address the effects of this epidemic on individuals, families and communities."

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Tong said states have 30 days to sign onto the deal and local governments in the participating states will have up to 150 days to join.

Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull, Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Acting Commissioner Nancy Navarretta, the mother of a child who battled opioid addiction and Maria Coutant Skinner, executive director of the McCall Center for Behavioral Health will take part in the news conference.