Drugmakers Poised to Profit Off of Opioid Settlement Strategy

Allix Fontana has been on Suboxone—a medication for opioid-use disorder—for five years, due to an addiction that started with opioids prescribed for injuries from competitive cheerleading.

Thousands more people could also get the medication as part of settlements opioid manufacturers reached with states and counties. While the drug freed Fontana from abusing prescription pills, Suboxone can also cause dependence, and the 33-year-old California resident lives in fear of withdrawal from the treatment.

“It’s been a nightmare,” she told Bloomberg Law. “I wish someone told me that I would be on this for the rest of my life.”

While the drugmakers ...