Opioid Settlements—The Next Wave

To settle their role in the distribution of opioid medications, health care companies such as Johnson & Johnson, AmerisourceBergen, Walmart, and McKesson, have agreed to pay over $50 billion (known as “opioid settlement funds") to state and local governments, over the next 15 years. To date, only $3 billion has been paid since the first payments began to process in May of 2022.

The first wave of payments was made by distributors like Johnson & Johnson and McKesson, with payments to be made annually over the next 18 years. The second wave of payments began in June 2023 and included . . .