Washington State Settles With Three Drug Distributors for $518 Million

Drug distributors McKesson, Cardinal Health and Amerisource Bergen have agreed to pay the state of Washington a total of $518 million to settle litigation over their alleged roles in fueling the opioid epidemic.

Under the settlement, McKesson will pay $197 million, while Cardinal and AmerisourceBergen will pay $160.5 million each.

The state previously rejected a $26 billion national settlement that the three companies, along with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson, had offered. By rejecting the national settlement, the state gained an extra $46 million to help pay for substance abuse treatments and other strategies to address the opioid crisis, said State Attorney General Bob Ferguson.