Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul, along with a bipartisan coalition of 13 attorneys general, today announced a $335 million national settlement in principle with pharmaceutical company Mylan Inc. (Mylan) over allegations the company deceptively promoted its opioid products as being less prone to abuse despite knowing for years that many of its opioid products – particularly its fentanyl patches – were actually more vulnerable to abuse. Illinois will receive more than $9 million in abatement funds from the settlement.
“This bipartisan settlement represents the latest development in the work state attorneys general are doing to hold entities responsible for fueling the opioid epidemic that has wreaked havoc in communities across our country,” Raoul said. “I remain committed to ensuring funding is equitably distributed across Illinois to help fund services that mitigate opioid addiction.”
Mylan, which is now a part of Viatris, has manufactured and sold a variety of opioids since 2005, including generic fentanyl patches, oxycodone, hydrocodone and buprenorphine products. Raoul and the coalition alleged the company fueled the opioid crisis by marketing directly to doctors, leading to dangerous overprescribing and diversion of its opioids into the illegal drug market.
If approved, the settlement will deliver $335 million to participating states over nine years.
The settlement is the latest in Attorney General Raoul’s ongoing efforts to combat the opioid epidemic and hold accountable companies whose deceptive practices increased opioid prescriptions at the expense of public health. In January, Raoul announced a $7.4 billion settlement in principle with members of the Sackler family and their company Purdue over their instrumental role in creating the opioid crisis. In November 2024, Raoul announced the finalization of national settlement with Kroger that requires the grocery chain to pay $1.37 billion to participating states and local governments for its role in the opioid crisis. To date, national investigations and litigation against the pharmaceutical industry over the opioid crisis have led to more than $50 billion in settlements, with Illinois’ share at more than $1.4 billion.
Attorney General Raoul urges anyone who believes they or a loved one may be addicted to opioids to seek help by calling the Illinois Helpline for Opioids and Other Substances at 833-2FINDHELP, which operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Joining Attorney General Raoul in securing the settlement in principle are the attorneys general of California, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia in coordination with the attorneys general of Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho and Vermont.
