Endo Agrees to Pay $8.8 Million to Settle Oklahoma Opioid Case

By Kimberly Chin

Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. agreed to pay roughly $8.8 million to settle claims by the state of Oklahoma that the company's marketing played a role in the opioid abuse crisis.

Endo International PLC, the parent of Endo Pharmaceuticals and Par Pharmaceutical Inc., said on Friday the settlement fully resolves Oklahoma's investigation into the opioid maker and its affiliates.

The settlement amount represents only a fraction of the overall settlement and judgment amounts associated with other opioid manufacturers in Oklahoma, the company said. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter's office said that a majority of the money will go into an Opioid Lawsuit Settlement Fund, which also contains the $85 million settlement with Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. in June.

Endo agreed that it won't employ or contract sales representatives, speakers and opinion leaders -- or hold speaking events -- to promote opioids in the state. It also said it wouldn't financially support branded or unbranded promotional materials about opioids, such as brochures, newsletters or books.

The company has said it was one of the first pharmaceutical companies to voluntarily stop promotions of all opioid medications and it has terminated all research and development of new opioid medications. Endo withdrew pain-medication Opana ER from the market and worked to curb counterfeiting and theft of the drug.

Mr. Hunter said Friday that the steps Endo has taken to mitigate the opioid epidemic are commendable.

"When they saw a problem, corporate executives proactively worked, internally and with stakeholders, to find a solution, not a cover-up, as we have discovered with numerous other companies during our years-long investigation," Mr. Hunter said in a statement.

The generic and specialty-branded pharmaceutical company said it hasn't admitted wrongdoing, fault or liability.

In September, Endo and its subsidiaries, also without admitting wrongdoing, fault or liability, agreed to pay $10 million to two Ohio counties to settle lawsuits related to claims about its manufacturing, marketing, distribution, supply and prescribing of its branded and generic opioid medications. The company also will provide up to $1 million of its Vasostrict and Adrenalin products free of charge to Cuyahoga County and Summit County.

Write to Kimberly Chin at kimberly.chin@wsj.com

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January 10, 2020 14:03 ET (19:03 GMT)

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