Connecticut and New York are part of a multi-state, $720 million settlement with eight drug manufacturers. Officials say the money collected will go toward anti-addiction programs.
Connecticut could get up to $8.4 million, and New York could get up to $38.7 million.
Attorney General William Tong (D-CT) said the companies have massively contributed to the opioid crisis in America. They are Mylan (now part of Viatris), Hikma, Amneal, Apotex, Indivior, Sun, Alvogen and Zydus.
“They knew that these drugs were highly addictive,” Tong said. “They knew that their products were being overprescribed, oversold, that communities that received their products were generating, receiving much more opioids than these communities could ever hope to consume.”
Payments are expected to begin as early as 2026. To date, Connecticut has used the money for mobile opioid treatment vans, housing programs, harm reduction, and more.
The overdose death rate in Connecticut declined 26% last year.
Seven of the companies involved in the settlement will be banned from promoting or marketing opioid products and making or selling any product with more than 40 mg of oxycodone per pill. They will also have to monitor and report suspicious orders.
So far, Connecticut has been awarded $600 million from opioid manufacturer settlements, while New York has received $3 billion.
“For years, drug companies prioritized profits at the expense of struggling New Yorkers who became trapped in deadly opioid addictions,” New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) said. “While communities throughout our state continue to suffer from the opioid crisis, these resources will help us begin to heal.”
