CNNRALEIGH, N.C. - Four attorneys general announced a proposed framework for a global settlement that could resolve lawsuits against five companies involved in the opioid crisis.
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, along with the attorneys general of Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Texas, announced a $48 billion proposed settlement Monday with two manufacturers -- Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries -- and with three distributors -- Cardinal Health, McKesson and Amerisource Bergen.
The proposed deal includes $22 billion in cash and another $26 billion in "medication assisted treatment drugs and their distribution" over a ten-year period.
The attorneys general are hoping other states will join the settlement, and it remains unclear if this proposal will move forward if they don't, according to a spokesperson for Stein.
Three of the defendants -- AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson -- issued a joint statement saying the MDL settlement does not mean they are at fault.