Ohio Receives $39 Million In Suboxone Settlement

Ohio will receive $39.4 million from Reckitt Benckiser, a British drug distributor that makes a medication meant to reduce withdrawal symptoms for recovering opioid addicts.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the $700 million multi-state deal Wednesday.

The drug distributor is paying to settle allegations that it made false claims about its medication Suboxone. Although the drug is used to help opioid addicts recover, it can also be addicting itself.

An investigation found that the company falsely promoted a version of Suboxone as less addicting than similar products.

The allegations also include misleading statements from Reckitt Benckiser to the Food and Drug Administration and attempts by the drug manufacturer to delay a generic form of the drug to control the price.

This settlement is separate from the $260 million agreement in principal reached Monday with Cuyahoga and Summit counties and drug distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson as well as drug manufacturer Teva.