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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More than 400,000 people enrolled in the state Medicaid program could be subject to new work requirements starting in January. AHCCCS is launching a website to help Arizonans navigate the changes.
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State health officials say they’ve confirmed nearly a thousand COVID-19 cases in the last week. At the same time, lots of Arizonans are starting to think about getting flu and COVID-19 shots for the year.
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COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in Arizona, but public health officials say it shouldn’t be cause for alarm.
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The National Weather Service has issued another extreme heat warning for the Phoenix area. This one is in effect Tuesday through Thursday.
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Tucson residents were clear in their concerns about Project Blue's potential to impact the environment and public health. Now, health officials in Pima County, where the project is moving forward, have published a study that backs some of that up.