May 3 (Reuters) - Amneal Pharmaceuticals ( AMRX ) said

on Friday it had reached a deal valued at more than $270 million

to resolve claims it helped fuel the deadly U.S. opioid

epidemic, becoming the latest drug company to settle lawsuits

over the addiction crisis brought by states and local

governments.

Amneal reached an agreement in principle to pay $92.5

million in cash and provide $180 million worth of naloxone nasal

spray, an overdose treatment medication, to resolve lawsuits by

U.S. states, local governments and Native American tribes.

The settlement, which is payable over 10 years, would if

finalized resolve nearly all of the more than 900 opioid-related

lawsuits against Amneal, the company said. It did not admit

wrongdoing as part of the nationwide settlement.

"We remain committed to helping those impacted by the opioid

crisis by enhancing access to naloxone nasal spray, which is an

emergency treatment for opioid overdose and helps save lives,"

Amneal said in a statement.

The settlement added to the more than $51 billion that drug

manufacturers, distributors, pharmacy operators and consultants

have agreed to pay to resolve lawsuits and investigations over

their roles in the drug addiction and overdose crisis.

Nearly 645,000 people died in the United States from

overdoses involving opioids, both prescription and illicit, from

1999 to 2021, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention.

State attorneys general accused Bridgewater, New

Jersey-based Amneal of failing to monitor and report suspicious

orders by its customers of generic opioid medications. The

company sold nearly nine billion pills from 2006 to 2019, the

states said.

"Amneal became one of the largest generic pharmaceutical

companies in the world by profiting off the sale of dangerous

opioids," said New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a

statement.

She said the settlement would provide funding and resources

for states to address the opioid epidemic and help those

suffering from drug addiction.