Cleveland.com | Eric Heisig
The state of Ohio will receive $39.4 million from a $700 million settlement between the federal government and states with a U.K.-based drug manufacturer over the marketing of an opioid addiction treatment medication.
Reckitt Benckiser Group agreed in July to pay $1.4 billion to resolve criminal and civil investigations into its marketing of the medication Suboxone. As part of the agreement, the company agreed to pay $700 million, with $500 million going to the federal government and $200 million split among several states.
The settlement with Ohio was executed Wednesday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s spokesman Dominic Brinkley said in an email.
Suboxone reduces withdrawal symptoms and is used to wean heroin and opioid users off the addictive drugs. The medication and its active ingredient, buprenorphine, are still addictive.
An investigation by multiple states showed that Reckitt Benckiser knowingly promoted Suboxone to doctors, who later prescribed the drugs for unsafe, ineffective and medically unnecessary uses, a news release from Yost’s office says.
They also made false claims that a film version of Suboxone was less prone to abuse and the potential to accidental exposure to children than similar products, the release states.