The American Society for Pharmacy Law (ASPL) is an organization of attorneys, pharmacists, pharmacist-attorneys and students of pharmacy or law who are interested in the law as it applies to
pharmacy, pharmacists, wholesalers, manufacturers, state and federal government and other interested parties.
ASPL is a non-profit which encourages diversity & inclusion with the Society, regardless of differing backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, orientations, origins, and practice settings. The Society embraces participation and diversity as it leads to advancing our purpose:
- Furthering knowledge in the law related to pharmacists, pharmacies, the provision of pharmaceutical care, the manufacturing and distribution of drugs, and other food, drug, and medical device policy issues;
- Communicating accurate legal educational information; and
- Providing educational opportunities for pharmacists, attorneys, and others who are interested in pharmacy law
Latest News
July 26, 2021
OPIOID CRISIS
Global settlement with J&J, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Cardinal Health announced at $26 billion; holdout states and parties complicate deal
A proposed global settlement was announced on July 21 between defendants Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, and Cardinal Health would result in the states receiving $5 billion from J&J and $21 billion from the distributors, with McKesson paying $8 billion over 18 years and the remaining $13 billion from ABC and Cardinal over the same time period, according to a summary on the website Opioid Settlement Tracker (OST). OST cited a New York Times report that “Lawyers familiar with the talks said that at least 45 states regard the terms positively.” Oklahoma, which won its trial against J&J is not participating, and attorneys general in Nevada, New Mexico and Washington were thought to be hold outs as of July 20. [Global Settlement Tracker, 2021 Jul 21; www.opioidsettlementtracker.com; https://bit.ly/3zubmBA]
On July 21, Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that he formally rejected the proposed settlement. The state’s action against the distributors goes to trial in King County Superior Court on September 7, and an action against Johnson & Johnson will begin in King County Superior Court in January 2022. According to the AG’s press release, the global settlement would provide $527.5 million to the state and its cities and counties over 18 years, but only if 100% of the city and county plaintiffs join. “This is not a transformative amount of money, and is not sufficient to address the opioid crisis’ devastation,” the AG stated. Among his other objections, the AG noted that the net present value of $527.5 million over 18 years is only $303.4 million. The settlement payout is also at risk if any non-settling plaintiff later initiates suit, which will freeze payments. According to AG Ferguson, “The settlement is, to be blunt, not nearly good enough for Washington. It stretches woefully insufficient funds into small payments over nearly 20 years, to be shared among over 300 Washington jurisdictions. We are looking forward to walking into a Washington state courtroom to hold these companies accountable for their conduct. Washington families devastated by the opioid epidemic deserve their day in court. We intend to give it to them.” [State of Washington, OAG. AG Ferguson rejects insufficient opioid distributors settlement, heads toward trial. 2021 Jul 21; https://bit.ly/3eZA055]
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