Attorney General Cameron Joins $450 Million Nationwide Settlement with Pharmaceutical Company Endo International as Part of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Filing

Contingent on approval by the Bankruptcy Court

FRANKFORT, Ky. (August 17, 2021) - Attorney General Cameron continued his commitment to fighting the opioid epidemic by joining 36 attorneys general in a proposed settlement agreement with pharmaceutical company Endo International (Endo) and its lenders for the company’s role in the opioid crisis. The resolution, which is contingent on approval by the Bankruptcy Court, provides a total of $450 million to participating states and local governments.

“Kentucky has been hit hard by the opioid epidemic,” said Attorney General Cameron. “Funding from this settlement with Endo International will further our efforts to provide hope and help to Kentuckians struggling with opioid addiction.”

The proposed settlement would resolve allegations that Endo, which makes generic and branded opioids, boosted opioid sales by using deceptive marketing practices to downplay the risk of addiction and overstate the benefits of opioid use. The pharmaceutical company is responsible for the creation of Percocet and Endocet, and Opana ER, which was withdrawn from the market in 2017.

The attorneys general allege that Endo falsely promoted the benefits of Opana ER’s so-called abuse-deterrent formulation, which did not deter oral abuse and led to deadly outbreaks of Hepatitis and HIV.

In addition to permanently banning the marketing of Endo’s opioids, the settlement will also require the pharmaceutical company to:  

• Make payments of $450 million in cash over 10 years to participating states and subdivisions.
• Turn over its opioid-related documents for publication online in a public document archive and pay $2.75 million for archival expenses.

Attorney General Cameron is joined by attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the settlement.