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The U.S. government had contested parts of Endo's restructuring efforts in bankruptcy court. Editor's note: This story was updated to note that Endo's criminal and civil opioid settlement payments will be satisfied by the bankruptcy resolution, according to an Endo spokesperson. As Endo looks to emerge from bankruptcy, the company has agreed to fork over up to $464.9 million to the federal government, which had been investigating its marketing of opioid painkiller Opana ER. On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said Endo has reached settlements in civil and criminal cases over its prior marketing of Opana ER. In addition, Endo inked a bankruptcy settlement worth up to $464.9 million, which essentially supersedes the civil and criminal deals for financial purposes. In the bankruptcy case, Endo agreed to pay $364.9 million over 10 years, plus up to $100 million depending on its performance after emerging from bankruptcy. Alternatively, Endo could resolve the bankruptcy case for $200 million upfront, plus the contingent payment worth up to $100 million depending on its future performance. The bankruptcy case stems from the U.S. government's "monetary claims" in the bankrupt Endo, according to a separate DOJ release. Among those claims are monetary payments stemming from Endo's new federal opioid deals. In the criminal settlement, Endo agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of violating the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act with its prior opioid marketing. The deal proposes a whopping $1.086 billion criminal fine and a $450 million criminal forfeiture, according to the DOJ. In the civil case, a proposed payment of $475.6 million would resolve Endo's potential liabilities under the False Claims Act, the DOJ said. In its own release, Endo noted that the civil deal does not include an admission of liability. Endo stopped selling Opana ER in 2017, the company noted. While the DOJ touted the federal government's civil and criminal deals, the financial figures from those agreements are not actually relevant. That's because the "the criminal and civil fines are essentially claims that are being satisfied by the settlement payments" in Endo's bankruptcy case, according to a company spokesperson. Since Endo's bankruptcy filing in August 2022, the company has been undergoing a restructuring in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York. That court must sign off on all of the deals, the DOJ said. Under Endo's restructuring plan, the company aims to sell itself to certain lenders. A court hearing to consider the proposal is scheduled for March 19. The bankruptcy case with the government is Endo's largest hurdle to completing its planned restructuring, Reuters reports.

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Feb. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Eric L. Young of Young Law Group, P.C. ("YLG"), counsel for an anonymous whistleblower, announced today that Endo Health Solutions, Inc. ("Endo"), has agreed to a civil settlement of $475 Million to resolve its civil liability under the federal False Claims Act by unlawfully promoting Opana ER, a dangerous opioid drug that was removed from the market by Endo at the request of the FDA in 2017. Both the United States' and YLG's whistleblower complaints alleged that Endo fraudulently billed Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and other federal healthcare programs for its role in fueling the ongoing opioid epidemic. "Today's announcement serves as clear notice that the pharmaceutical industry's questionable, and often illegal, practices will not be tolerated," said Eric L. Young. "This settlement is another important step in pushing back against Big Pharma's efforts to increase the use of deadly drugs by unsuspecting patients." YLG filed its qui tam Complaint against Endo in 2019. Since that time, YLG and its courageous whistleblower client worked closely with the Civil Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the United States Inspector General ("OIG") and the United States Department of Health & Human Services to assist in an ongoing criminal and civil investigations of Endo involving alleged unlawful marketing and sales of Opana ER, a powerful opioid agonist pain killer indicated for the relief of moderate to severe pain in patients requiring continuous around-the-clock opioid treatment for extended periods of time. YLG's qui tam complaint alleged, among other things, that Endo touted the purported "crush resistant" properties of Opana ER that were designed to prevent improper use through insufflation (snorting) or intravenous injection. In reality, Endo's claim that the drug was resistant to tampering or abuse was false. The qui tam complaint further alleged that Endo's marketing efforts were designed to convince prescribing physicians that Opana ER was safer than other opioid products while encouraging more prescriptions of the dangerous and addictive drug. "Our client has demonstrated remarkable courage and perseverance in coming forward and working with the government to present evidence of Endo's alleged wrongful misconduct and seeing the case to its final resolution after more than a decade," said Mr. Young. About Young Law Group Since 2009, Young Law Group has represented clients in actions that resulted in recoveries of more than $3 billion on behalf of the federal and state taxpayers. YLG specializes in the representation of whistleblowers in qui tam actions filed under the False Claims Act, as well as the whistleblower programs of the SEC, the CTFC, and the IRS. YLG Founder Eric L. Young was named as one of two "Lawyers of the Year" in 2020 by the Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund, the leading organization dedicated to combatting fraud against the government. The case is captioned U.S. ex rel. [Redacted] v. Endo Int'l plc, Case No. 19-cv-80574 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Contact Eric L. Young, Esquire Young Law Group, P.C. 3031C Walton Road, Suite 301 Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462 [email protected] 215-367-5151 SOURCE Young Law Group