Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and the Attorney General’s Office announced settlements with two prescription drug wholesalers, AmerisourceBergen, which will pay $16 million, and Cardinal Health, which will pay $20 million, pushing the total paid to West Virginia in excess of $47 million.
The settlements resolve allegations by the state related to the distribution of controlled substances to WV licensed and DEA registered dispensers in the state.
The Attorney General’s Office brought the lawsuit along with two departments in Gov. Tomblin’s administration: Health and Human Resources, and Military Affairs and Public Safety.
The plaintiffs intend to use their portions of settlement funds to further the collective fight against drug abuse in West Virginia. Specifically, the money will be used to support drug abuse prevention and treatment.
“We’ve taken steps to combat drug abuse in West Virginia with distributors, prescribers and pharmacists, and the money from this settlement will help us expand those efforts with additional treatment and long-term recovery options,” Governor Tomblin said.
AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health deny the allegations of plaintiffs’ complaint and any wrongdoing.
The settlements received approval from the Attorney General’s Office, Gov. Tomblin, and secretaries of the Department of Health and Human Resources and Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety. All parties agreed to the settlement to avoid the delay, expense, inconvenience, and uncertainty of protracted litigation.
Previous settlements involved H.D. Smith ($3.5 million), Miami-Luken ($2.5 million), Anda Inc. ($1,865,250), The Harvard Drug Group ($1 million), Associated Pharmacies ($850,000), J.M. Smith Corporation ($400,000), KeySource Medical Inc ($250,000), Quest Pharmaceuticals ($250,000), Top Rx ($200,000) and Masters Pharmaceutical LLC ($200,000).
Terms require AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health to pay the full, agreed-upon amounts by March 1, 2017.
