Reckitt pays $1.4b to settle opioid treatment spat

LONDON, July 11 (AFP): British consumer health giant Reckitt Benckiser announced Thursday it will pay up to $1.4 billion (1.2 billion euros) to settle a dispute with US authorities over the sale and marketing of an opioid addiction treatment.

The case concerns the pharmaceutical company Indivior, which was an RB subsidiary before demerging in 2014.

The US authorities criticised Indivior for having sought to take advantage of the opioid addiction crisis in the United States by exaggerating the safety of its drug Suboxone.

RB said it had reached agreements with the US Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to resolve the long-running investigation.

"RB will pay a total of up to $1.4 billion to fully resolve all federal investigations into RB in connection with the subject matter," the firm said in a statement.