AmerisourceBergen's Response to Proposed Opioid Settlement Agreement

The update provided by the Attorneys General today of a proposed settlement agreement to resolve the majority of the existing and potential opioid-related lawsuits brought by States and other municipalities is a significant step towards reaching a settlement.  Provided the final, agreed-upon settlement agreement achieves widespread participation as expected, AmerisourceBergen will move forward with the settlement as outlined by the Attorneys General with the goal of best meeting the needs of our wide ranging stakeholders including communities, customers, associates and the patients we work to serve.

A settlement will avoid years of protracted litigation, expedite the movement of resources to communities impacted by opioid misuse and allow our company to do what we do best – ensuring that health care facilities like hospitals and community pharmacies have access to the medications that patients and care providers need – ranging from blood pressure medications to chemotherapies to COVID-19 treatments and, as appropriate, prescription pain medications.

The years of legal actions leading up to this point have shown time and time again that pharmaceutical distributors must walk a legal and ethical tightrope between providing access to necessary medications and acting to prevent diversion of controlled substances. The settlement includes provisions that will increase clarity around state requirements regarding the distribution of opioid based medications. As we have for years, AmerisourceBergen will continue to advocate for greater clarity and regulatory guidance on the role of distributors in preventing the diversion of legal controlled substances.