About NAS and who may qualify
About NAS and who may qualify
NAS — neonatal abstinence syndrome — is withdrawal in a newborn baby. It happens when a baby was exposed to opioids before birth. It is a medical condition, nothing more, and a child qualifies because of a diagnosis.
Two things matter
- Your child was diagnosed with NAS, or newborn withdrawal, at birth.
- The child’s mother was prescribed one of the pain medicines at issue — at any point in her life, not only during the pregnancy.
Why the timing does not matter the way people expect
The opportunities that exist for these children come out of the way certain pain medicines were sold and prescribed. A very common story runs like this: a doctor prescribed the medicine, it led to addiction, the prescriptions eventually stopped, and the addiction did not. Years later a baby is born in withdrawal. Those are the children this is for. The prescription that matters may have been long before the pregnancy.
The medicines we ask about
If any of these were ever prescribed to the child’s mother, it is worth asking. Many were prescribed by a doctor for an injury, surgery, or back pain. That is not a fault, and it does not change whether a child qualifies.
| OxyContin | oxycodone ER |
| Percocet | oxycodone/APAP |
| Vicodin, Norco, or Lortab | hydrocodone/APAP |
| Roxicodone (“roxies”) | oxycodone IR |
| Opana | oxymorphone |
| Dilaudid | hydromorphone |
| Morphine or MS Contin | morphine |
| Fentanyl (patch or lozenge) | fentanyl |
| Methadone | methadone |
| Suboxone, Subutex, or buprenorphine | buprenorphine |
| Codeine, or cough syrup with codeine | codeine |
| Tramadol or Ultram | tramadol |
Things that often go with NAS
None of these are required. They help us understand how serious the case was.
- A stay in a special care nursery, sometimes called the NICU
- Medicine given to the baby to help with withdrawal
- Trouble with feeding or growing
- Breathing problems, like asthma
- Being behind on walking, talking, or learning
- Behavior or attention difficulties
Where a claim could go
Different companies set up different funds, and they work differently from each other. Which one a child’s claim belongs to depends on which medicine was involved. We keep them separate here on purpose — they are not one pot of money.
We checked each program against the trust or the court directly. The source and the date we checked it appear under each one. Deadlines do change — always confirm with the firm before relying on any of them.
The national opioid case (MDL 2804)
A very large case in federal court in Ohio against the companies that made, distributed and sold opioids — McKesson, Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen, and the big pharmacy chains. It has been running since 2017 before Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland. The court created a separate track in it for children born with NAS or NOWS, and Steve New is in the leadership of that litigation.
Status: Still active, and most likely the route for a family coming forward now. It is a court case, not a fund you claim from, so there is no single claim deadline the way a trust has one. A child generally has time well into adulthood.
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio, MDL 2804 (ohnd.uscourts.gov); Judge Dan Aaron Polster, filed 2017, ongoing. Checked 17 Sep 2026.
The McKinsey case (MDL 2996)
A case in federal court in California against the consulting firm that advised opioid makers on how to sell more. McKinsey has already paid settlements to states and to the federal government. Children with NAS and NOWS are the main group still bringing claims of their own in it, and two of the test cases are Steve New’s.
Status: Still active. Also a court case rather than a fund.
U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, MDL 2996 (cand.uscourts.gov); Judge Charles R. Breyer. Checked 17 Sep 2026.
The Endo future claims trust
When Endo set up its trusts it also set up a separate one for claims that had not happened yet. It covers NAS specifically. It is only for children born after 7 July 2023 — if your child is older, the entry above is the one that applied.
Status: Not open yet. The trust exists and covers NAS, but it says it is still preparing its claim forms and is not taking claims at this time. No filing deadline has been published. This is worth watching if your child was born after July 2023.
Endo Future Personal Injury Trust (endofuturepitrust.com); covers future NAS claims, effective 23 April 2024, claims package in preparation. Checked 17 Sep 2026.
Programs that may open later
This area is still moving. Cases settle and new funds get created, and children have a long time to bring a claim — in many cases into adulthood. Asking now costs nothing and means someone is watching on your behalf.
Status: Nothing to claim from today, but the reason to ask now.
State and city opioid settlements
You have probably seen the very large numbers in the news — tens of billions of dollars. Those settlements pay states, counties and cities, for treatment programs and public services. They almost never pay families directly. We mention them so nobody is disappointed later.
Status: Not a route for an individual family, in almost every case.
Purdue Pharma
The maker of OxyContin and MS Contin. Purdue filed for bankruptcy in 2019. A first plan was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2024 over the protections it gave the Sackler family, and a revised plan followed with roughly $7.4 billion from the Sacklers. Children born in withdrawal were recognised as their own group of claimants.
Status: Closed. Claims against the Purdue trust had to be filed by 28 July 2025, with a short grace period to 12 August 2025. Both have passed. The plan took effect on 1 May 2026 and payments to people who did claim in time were expected to start in late 2026.
Purdue Personal Injury Trust (purduepitrust.com); plan confirmed 18 Nov 2025, effective 1 May 2026. Checked 17 Sep 2026.
Mallinckrodt
The largest maker of generic oxycodone, and of Roxicodone and Methadose. If what was prescribed was “just the generic,” this is often where it traces. Mallinckrodt went through bankruptcy twice, in 2020 and again in 2023, and set up an opioid trust that pays claimants in categories — children born in withdrawal among them.
Status: Closed. NAS claims had to be filed with the trust by 15 June 2025, three years after the trust took effect. The trust states that claims not filed by that date are barred. The second bankruptcy also cut what the trust has to pay out.
Mallinckrodt Opioid Personal Injury Trust (mnkpitrust.com); trust effective 16 June 2022, NAS deadline 15 June 2025. Checked 17 Sep 2026.
Endo
The maker of Opana and Percocet. Endo filed for bankruptcy in 2022 and the business was sold to its creditors, with trusts created for opioid claims.
Status: Closed. A NAS claim needed a proof of claim filed in the bankruptcy by 7 July 2023, and then a claim to the NAS trust by 23 April 2025. Both dates have passed. See the next entry for children born after July 2023.
Endo Opioid and NAS Personal Injury Trusts (endopitrust.com); general bar date 7 July 2023, trust effective 23 April 2024, NAS deadline 23 April 2025. Checked 17 Sep 2026.
We cannot tell you whether your child qualifies, and this website never will. That decision belongs to a law firm, after they look at the details. What we can do is find out whether it is worth their time to look.