An investigation beginning in 2020 by the FBI into Purdue Pharma’s continuous marketing of opioid drugs to over 100 health care providers ended with a $7.4 billion settlement.
On Monday, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced the state will get $108 million over the next 15 years from this settlement.
“I'm proud to secure another $100 million to fight the opioid crisis in Arizona – and from some of the worst offenders, who worsened the opioid crisis across the country for their personal profit,” Mayes said.
Purdue Pharma is a pharmaceutical company known for manufacturing OxyContin, a highly addictive painkiller. The company was founded in the 1800s, but dissolved in 2021 after agreeing to pay billions in settlements for opioid marketing and overdose issues.
This will bring Arizona's total to $1.1 billion from opioid company settlements intended to fund addiction treatment, prevention and recovery programs.
"My office will never stop aggressively investigating and prosecuting the bad actors responsible for the opioid abuse epidemic and the scourge of fentanyl in our streets,” Mayes said.
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K-12 students in Maricopa County may have easier access to mental healthcare next school year. The county has contracted with a company called Cartwheel to provide telehealth services for schools. -
Officials from the Arizona Department of Health Services confirmed one passenger on board an cruise ship where three passengers died from hantavirus has returned home to Arizona. That person is being monitored by local health officials. -
The accident occurred about a half mile east of Highway 160 and state Route 98 near Shonto in Navajo County. This is the first reported incident since hauling along the 300-mile interstate route began nearly two years ago. -
Among the many provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are new rules around Medicaid. In states that expanded the program, like Arizona, enrollees will have new work requirements. -
The list includes a Latter Day Saints church, a Fry’s, a Target and several restaurants. Anyone who may have been exposed to measles should watch for symptoms for three weeks.
