Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced today that the state will receive $2.5 million as part of a nationwide $720 million settlement with eight pharmaceutical companies accused of fueling the opioid epidemic.
The funds, which will be used for opioid abatement efforts across Montana, stem from a multistate agreement resolving claims that the companies played a role in the widespread distribution and marketing of addictive prescription painkillers. All 50 states and U.S. territories are set to receive a share of the national settlement.
“As Attorney General, I will continue to hold those who fueled the opioid crisis accountable,” Knudsen said. “Opioids have taken lives and destroyed communities across Montana and the entire country. We will put this money to good use to save lives and stop addiction.”
Montana’s share of the settlement will be directed toward a variety of opioid response programs, including treatment for opioid use disorder, the distribution of life-saving overdose reversal drugs like Narcan to first responders, and expansion of drug treatment courts for individuals with opioid-related substance abuse issues.
The companies involved in the settlement and the amounts they have agreed to pay are:
- Mylan (now part of Viatris): $284.4 million over nine years
- Hikma: $95.8 million over one to four years
- Amneal: $71.7 million over 10 years
- Apotex: $63.6 million in a single year
- Indivior: $38 million over four years
- Sun: $30.9 million over one to four years
- Alvogen: $18.6 million in a single year
- Zydus: $14.8 million in a single year
As part of the settlement terms, seven of the companies (excluding Indivior) have agreed to strict limitations on future opioid business practices. They are prohibited from promoting or marketing opioid products, barred from manufacturing or selling high-dose (over 40 mg) oxycodone pills, and must implement robust monitoring systems to detect suspicious orders.
Indivior, which manufactures medications for opioid use disorder, has agreed not to manufacture or sell opioid painkillers for at least 10 years but can continue producing treatment medications such as Suboxone.
The opioid epidemic has devastated Montana communities for more than two decades, contributing to hundreds of overdose deaths and placing heavy burdens on the state’s health care, child welfare, and criminal justice systems. Beyond the economic toll, Knudsen emphasized the human cost of addiction: broken families, strained relationships, and lost lives.
Today’s announcement follows a string of opioid-related actions taken by Knudsen since he took office. In January, Montana reached a $16 million settlement with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family. In November 2024, Knudsen announced a $4 million agreement with grocery chain Kroger. He also launched an initiative last fall to provide opioid overdose reversal kits in middle and high schools across the state.
By: BSH staff