Attorney General Schwalb Secures $1.2 Million from Opioid Drug Manufacturers

In Addition to Monetary Payments, Drug Companies Are Permanently Banned from Promoting or Marketing Opioid Products in the District of Columbia


Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced that eight opioid drug manufacturers will pay the District approximately $1.2 million as part of a nationwide settlement resolving allegations that these companies contributed to and exacerbated the national opioid crisis. Under the terms of the settlement, seven of the eight defendants—Alvogen, Amneal, Apotex, Hikima, Mylan, Sun, and Zydus—are prohibited from promoting or marketing opioids and opioid products, prohibited from making or selling any product that contains more than 40 mg of oxycodone per pill, and are required to reform their corporate practices. The eighth defendant, Indivior, is prohibited from manufacturing or selling any opioid products for the next 10 years. To date, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has secured nearly $104 million from companies that contributed to the opioid epidemic.

“Tragically, hundreds of DC residents continue to lose their lives every year to opioid overdoses, and far too many members of our community struggle with opioid addiction,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “This nationwide, bipartisan settlement holds companies accountable for putting profits over the health and wellbeing of DC residents and requires meaningful changes to their business practices so that this never happens again.”

Under the terms of the settlement, the defendants will pay approximately the following amounts to the District to help address the opioid crisis:

  • Mylan: $602,600  
  • Hikma: $188,800
  • Amneal: $160,300
  • Apotex: $116,900  
  • Indivior: $71,100
  • Sun: $56,900
  • Alvogen: $34,300
  • Zydus: $27,200

In total, these eight companies will pay $720 million to virtually every state and territory in the United States. In addition to these payments, several of the settlements allow states to receive free pharmaceutical products, or cash in lieu of the products. Additionally, seven of the companies (not including Indivior) are prohibited from promoting or marketing opioids and opioid products, making or selling any product that contains more than 40 mg of oxycodone per pill, providing financial reward to employees based on the volume of opioids sold, or engaging in lobbying related to opioids, and must put in place a monitoring and reporting system for suspicious orders. Indivior has agreed to not manufacture or sell opioid products for the next 10 years, but it will be able to continue marketing and selling medications to treat opioid use disorder.

This matter was handled by Wendy Weinberg, Senior Assistant Attorney General.

 

Impact of the Opioid Epidemic in DC

Between 2021 and 2024, 1,740 people died from opioid overdoses in the District. This settlement is the latest development in OAG’s broad efforts to address the opioid crisis, hold those responsible for it accountable, and secure relief for affected District residents. To date, OAG has secured nearly $104 million for the District via settlements with drug manufacturers, distributors, and others for their roles in creating and profiting from the crisis.

The District’s Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission was established in 2022 to make recommendations for how to best use the anticipated $104 million in settlement funds to address the harm caused by the opioid epidemic. After five years of rising annual opioid fatalities in DC, opioid deaths fell in 2024, when there were 344 opioid-related fatal overdoses—down from 516 the previous year. In the first quarter of 2025, there were 61 fatal opioid overdoses, a 33% decrease year-to-date from the prior year.