Conshohocken-based AmerisourceBergen has reached a settlement agreement with Rhode Island over claims that it had profited from the opioid epidemic, writes Mary Serreze for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

AmerisourceBergen is one of the three pharmaceutical distributors that have settled with the state for a total of $91 million. McKesson Corp and Cardinal Health are also part of the settlement.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said that the three companies knowingly prioritized profits over safety.

“You can make all the money you want, as long as you are doing it the right way,” he said. “When you endanger lives, and you know you’re endangering them, and you do nothing to stop it, that’s not good corporate behavior.”

Payments from the distributors will be disbursed over 18 years and will primarily be used to fund statewide programs related to the opioid epidemic.

This distribution will be determined by an advisory committee that will be made up from public health experts, municipal representatives, and others. The spending will have to go through Rhode Island’s appropriations process.

Meanwhile, 20 percent of the funds will be distributed in the form of direct payments to each of the state’s municipalities, using a population-driven formula.

Read more about AmerisourceBergen in the Philadelphia Business Journal.