Opioid Epidemic: Livermore Wants Piece Of $26B Settlement

LIVERMORE, CA — The city of Livermore wants a piece of a $26 billion pie after major pharmaceutical companies settled to end an investigation into their roles in the opioid epidemic.

The settlements came this summer after Johnson & Johnson and three opioid distributors reached a settlement with several states.

California could receive about $2 billion of the total sum. Most states are involved in the settlement, and since California is among them, Livermore is eligible to participate.

The Livermore City Council was slated to discuss the matter at its Monday meeting.

"The litigation alleges that manufacturers of prescription opioids grossly misrepresented the risk of long-term use of those drugs and that distributors failed to properly monitor suspicious orders for those drugs — all of which contributed to the current opioid epidemic," City Attorney Jason Alcala wrote in a staff report to the council.

Any money Livermore receives would be used "to combat the effects of the opioid crisis," he added.

Any actions taken Monday would be largely procedural. The city has already expressed interest in joining the settlement, but the council must first authorize the city manager to act on the city's behalf. The city manager must complete paperwork and agree to terms of the settlement.

Tune into Monday's 7 p.m. virtual meeting on YouTube or Zoom.