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Encinitas Mother Of Addiction Victim Says Opioid Settlement Doesn't Hold Drug Companies Accountable

Encinitas resident Lisa Nava poses for a photo with her son, Alex, in this undated photo.
Lisa Nava
Encinitas resident Lisa Nava poses for a photo with her son, Alex, in this undated photo.
An Encinitas woman who lost her son to opioid addiction in 2019 says that the recently announced $26 billion settlement involving four major producers of prescription opioids doesn't truly hold the pharmaceutical giants accountable.

Just a week after the announcement of a multi-billion dollar settlement with opioid manufacturers, the agreement is showing signs of strain.

West Virginia has already said it won’t participate in the $26 billion multi-state settlement, while Philadelphia said it wants to continue with its own lawsuit.

Both say the amount is too low for the damage caused by opioid manufacturers.

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California supports the huge settlement. However, there is still doubt about whether the companies involved - Johnson and Johnson, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson - are truly being held accountable for their aggressive marketing of the highly addictive pain pills.

Encinitas resident Lisa Nava lost her son, Alex, to opioid addiction in 2019.

"I don't think there's any amount of money ... that can do justice to the devastation not only to personal families but to our communities," Nava said.

Nava, now the president of North County Justice Allies and a member of the Addiction Awareness Initiative, joined Midday Edition on Monday with her reaction to the settlement.

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