KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas will receive millions of dollars to fund addiction prevention and treatment over the course of a decade as part of a settlement with an opioid manufacturer.
Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced on Thursday that Purdue Pharma will owe the state roughly $35 million as part of its settlement to end litigation related to “the manufacturing and marketing of painkillers that have contributed to an overdose epidemic over the past two decades.”
“We remain committed to holding accountable those who hurt so many Kansans by peddling addiction for profit,” Schmidt said in a news release. “Thanks to the work of the Kansas Legislature in dedicating these funds we are now recovering, these companies will pay to help break the cycle of addiction for many more Kansans going forward.”
Schmidt sued the manufacturer in 2019, after which it declared bankruptcy, the release stated.
The Sackler family, which owned Purdue, is required to end its involvement in the opioid business as part of the settlement. The family also must provide $4.5 billion to establish prevention and treatment programs, like what will be established in Kansas.
Kansas also is involved in a separate settlement with other pharmaceutical distributors and manufacturers, from which it is estimated to receive between $90 million and $190 million over 17 years.
