This archive report was first published on 2 October 2019.
On October 1, 2019, Johnson & Johnson became the fifth drugmaker to avoid going to trial in the first federal opioids case, announcing a $20.4 million agreement to settle claims raised by two Ohio counties.
The company, through its drug manufacturing division Janssen Pharmaceuticals, made a fentanyl patch and two versions of an opioid tablet, which accounted for less than 1 percent of total opioid prescriptions written in the United States.
Johnson & Johnson did not admit wrongdoing and said in a statement that it was settling “to avoid the resource demands and uncertainty of a trial as it continues to seek meaningful progress in addressing the nation’s opioid crisis.”
As part of the settlement, Johnson & Johnson will give a combined $10 million to Cuyahoga and Summit Counties, $5 million to cover the plaintiffs’ legal fees and expenses, and $5.4 million in charitable contributions to opioid-related nonprofit programs in those Northern Ohio counties.
Compared to Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, which tentatively settled last month for $24 million in cash and $6 million worth of drugs, Johnson & Johnson's settlement is significantly lower.
