Sussex County to receive $128K per year in opioid settlement
Newton. Sussex County will recieve $127,917 per year for the next 18 years as part of the Nationwide Opioid Agreement against three pharmaceutical distributors and one manufacturer.
| 08 Nov 2022 | 09:17
Sussex County received nearly $128,000 per year for the next 18 years as part of the Nationwide Opioid Agreement.
The settlements have been reached to resolve opioids lawsuits brought by states and municipalities against the nation’s three largest pharmaceutical distributors, McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen, and manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and it’s parent company Johnson & Johnson.
The distributors will pay a maximum of $21 billion over 18 years, while Johnson & Johnson will pay a maximum of $5 billion over no more than 9 years with about $22.8 billion in settlement proceeds going to states and municipalities.
Most of the money – 85 percent must be used for abatement of the Opioid epidemic.
Commissioner Jill Space on Nov. 2 said the county will receive $127,917 per year for the next 18 years to lessen the impacts of the opioid crisis.
“The county has created a council with key stakeholders to identify priorities and develop a plan to fund life-saving life saving addition prevention, treatment and/or recovery programs,” Space said.
The settlement required states and municipalities to opt in. The commissioners authorized the county’s participation in the settlement on Dec. 8, 2021.
“The opioid crisis has had a devastating effect on so many families in New Jersey and in Sussex County,” Space said.
