Trial against opioid distributors wraps up in West Virginia
3 years, 4 months ago

Trial against opioid distributors wraps up in West Virginia

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Cardinal Health attorney Enu Mainigi tried to minimize the company’s involvement during her nearly two-hour closing argument, saying that over 32 days at trial, the court heard little about its conduct. Plaintiff attorney Paul Farrell, representing Cabell County, said he took “great offense” at some of the defense's comments, including a notion that the distributors had no responsibility to control the supply of pills. “If the number of pills that came into Huntington and Cabell County, West Virginia, isn't suspicious, I don't know what is,” he said. In separate, similar lawsuits, the state of West Virginia reached a $37 million settlement with McKesson in 2019, and $20 million with Cardinal Health and $16 million with AmerisourceBergen in 2017.

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West Virginia starts distributing funds from the settlement of opioid lawsuits
11 months, 3 weeks ago

West Virginia starts distributing funds from the settlement of opioid lawsuits

Associated Press  

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia is issuing the first checks from a fund established by the settlement of opioid lawsuits in the state, which has by far the nation’s highest drug overdose death rate. The distribution is part of a memorandum of understanding that was previously adopted by state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and counsel for West Virginia cities and …

Local governments in West Virginia to start seeing opioid settlement money this year
1 year, 1 month ago

Local governments in West Virginia to start seeing opioid settlement money this year

Associated Press  

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Local governments in West Virginia will start seeing opioid settlement money by the year’s end, the board in charge of distributing the lion’s share of around $1 billion in funds announced Monday. Around $73.5 million will be deployed to municipalities and counties this calendar year in the state most hard-hit by the opioid epidemic, according to Jefferson …

West Virginia settles with Kroger, opioid money now tops $1B
1 year, 7 months ago

West Virginia settles with Kroger, opioid money now tops $1B

Associated Press  

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia has settled with Kroger for $68 million over its role in distributing highly addictive prescription painkillers into the U.S. state that has lost more lives to opioid overdoses per capita than any other. That brings West Virginia’s total opioid litigation dollars up to more than $1 billion, more than any other state per capita, Attorney …

Doctor gets nearly 17 years in prison for vast opioid scheme
1 year, 10 months ago

Doctor gets nearly 17 years in prison for vast opioid scheme

Associated Press  

DETROIT — A Detroit-area doctor was sentenced Monday to nearly 17 years in prison and ordered to pay $30 million for leading a scheme to bill Medicare and private insurers for unnecessary painkiller injections and write prescriptions for millions of opioids. Frank Patino’s fraud lasted years and was one of the most egregious health care schemes in U.S. history, prosecutors …

$500M-plus from opioid deal starts heading to Washington
2 years, 2 months ago

$500M-plus from opioid deal starts heading to Washington

Associated Press  

SEATTLE — The first payments from a $518 million settlement with the nation’s three largest opioid distributors will begin reaching Washington communities in December, providing much-needed cash officials can use to hire first responders or direct toward prevention, treatment and other services, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said Monday. “These significant resources will help Washington fight back against the opioid epidemic …

Judge: Pharmacies owe 2 Ohio counties $650M in opioids suit
2 years, 4 months ago

Judge: Pharmacies owe 2 Ohio counties $650M in opioids suit

Associated Press  

CLEVELAND — A federal judge in Cleveland awarded $650 million in damages Wednesday to two Ohio counties that sued CVS, Walgreens and Walmart over the way the national pharmacy chains distributed opioids to their communities. U.S. District Judge Dan Polster said in his ruling that the money will be used to the fight the opioid crisis in Lake and Trumbull …

Drugmaker Teva latest to settle opioid lawsuits nationally
2 years, 4 months ago

Drugmaker Teva latest to settle opioid lawsuits nationally

Associated Press  

Drugmaker Teva announced Tuesday that it has agreed to contribute more than $4.3 billion in cash and medications to settle lawsuits in the state and local governments and Native American tribes that claimed the company contributed to the U.S. opioid epidemic. In their lawsuits, state governments and others claimed the Israel-based company promoted Actiq and Fentora, prescription opioids approved to …

Tentative $161.5M settlement reached in WVa opioid trial
2 years, 6 months ago

Tentative $161.5M settlement reached in WVa opioid trial

Associated Press  

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Attorneys for the state of West Virginia and two remaining pharmaceutical manufacturers have reached a tentative $161.5 million settlement just as closing arguments were set to begin in a seven-week trial over the opioid epidemic, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said Wednesday. West Virginia had reached a $99 million settlement with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals …

Judge to decide how much pharmacies owe over opioid crisis
2 years, 7 months ago

Judge to decide how much pharmacies owe over opioid crisis

Associated Press  

CLEVELAND — A hearing has begun in federal court in Cleveland for a judge to determine how much CVS, Walgreens and Walmart pharmacies should pay two Ohio counties to help them ease the ongoing costs and problems caused by the opioid crisis. Drug overdose deaths increased since 2015 because of synthetic opioids like fentanyl in the two counties, Keyes said, …

US judge to decide how much pharmacies owe over opioid crisis
2 years, 7 months ago

US judge to decide how much pharmacies owe over opioid crisis

Al Jazeera  

Approximately 80 million prescription painkillers were dispensed in Trumbull County between 2012 and 2016 — 400 for every county resident — while 61 million pills were dispensed in Lake County during that five-year period — 265 pills for every resident. That is the question in front of a federal judge in Cleveland, who will begin hearing testimony on Tuesday after …

Washington reaches $518M settlement with opioid distributors
2 years, 7 months ago

Washington reaches $518M settlement with opioid distributors

Associated Press  

SEATTLE — Months into a complex trial over their role in flooding Washington with highly addictive painkillers, the nation’s three largest opioid distributors agreed Tuesday to pay the state $518 million, with the vast majority being directed toward easing the addiction epidemic. Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced the deal, noting that it’s worth tens of millions of dollars more than …

Washington state reaches $518m settlement with opioid suppliers
2 years, 7 months ago

Washington state reaches $518m settlement with opioid suppliers

Al Jazeera  

The agreement ends a months-long trial over the companies’ alleged role in fuelling the opioid epidemic in the state, the three companies said on Tuesday. Washington has reached a $518m settlement with drug distributors McKesson Corp, AmerisourceBergen Corp and Cardinal Health, ending a months-long trial over the companies’ alleged role in fuelling the opioid epidemic in the northwestern United States …

J&J’s Janssen settles with WVa for $99M in opioid lawsuit
2 years, 8 months ago

J&J’s Janssen settles with WVa for $99M in opioid lawsuit

Associated Press  

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia will receive $99 million in a settlement finalized Monday with Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. over the drugmaker’s role in perpetuating the opioid crisis in the state that has long led the nation in drug overdose deaths. State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said during a news briefing that he believes West Virginia’s settlement …

Epidemiologist: Drug supply fueled WVa crisis over poverty
2 years, 8 months ago

Epidemiologist: Drug supply fueled WVa crisis over poverty

Associated Press  

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The influx of prescription opioids into West Virginia communities was the main driver of the state’s drug crisis — more than poverty, job loss and other economic stressors, an epidemiologist testified Tuesday at the ongoing trial against three major pharmaceutical companies. Keyes described West Virginia, one of the poorest U.S. states, as the “epicenter of the opioid …

EXPLAINER: Where do US opioid trials, settlements stand?
2 years, 8 months ago

EXPLAINER: Where do US opioid trials, settlements stand?

Associated Press  

The effort to hold drug companies, pharmacies and distributors accountable for their role in the opioid crisis has led to a whirlwind of legal activity around the U.S. that can be difficult keep tabs on. OTHER DRUGMAKERS In a major court victory for drugmakers last year, a California judge ruled against some local governments in their case against pharmaceutical companies …

Trial Opens In Florida Opioid Lawsuit Case Against Walgreens
2 years, 8 months ago

Trial Opens In Florida Opioid Lawsuit Case Against Walgreens

Huff Post  

MILL VALLEY, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 06: An exterior view of a Walgreens store on January 06, 2022 in Mill Valley, California. Trial opened Monday in Florida’s opioid epidemic lawsuit against the Walgreens pharmacy chain, which state officials accuse of prioritizing profits over health by improperly dispensing millions of powerful painkillers that caused tens of thousands of deaths. Justin Sullivan via …

West Virginia reaches $26M settlement with opioid maker Endo
2 years, 8 months ago

West Virginia reaches $26M settlement with opioid maker Endo

Associated Press  

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia will receive $26 million in a settlement with the opioid maker Endo Health Solutions for the company’s role in perpetuating the state’s drug epidemic, the attorney general’s office said Wednesday. Endo would have been part of that trial if the state and the company hadn’t come to a settlement agreement over the last several months, …

Johnson & Johnson, 3 distributors finalize landmark $26-billion opioid settlement
2 years, 9 months ago

Johnson & Johnson, 3 distributors finalize landmark $26-billion opioid settlement

LA Times  

Used syringes are disposed of Thursday at a needle exchange run by a health center in Camden, N.J. Drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and three major distributors finalized nationwide settlements over their role in the opioid addiction crisis Friday, an announcement that clears the way for a cumulative $26 billion to flow to nearly every state and local government in the …

4 U.S. companies will pay $26 billion to settle claims they fueled the opioid crisis
2 years, 9 months ago

4 U.S. companies will pay $26 billion to settle claims they fueled the opioid crisis

NPR  

4 U.S. companies will pay $26 billion to settle claims they fueled the opioid crisis Enlarge this image toggle caption Keith Srakocic/AP file photo Keith Srakocic/AP file photo Four of the largest U.S. corporations have agreed to pay roughly $26 billion to settle a tsunami of lawsuits linked to claims that their business practices helped fuel the deadly opioid crisis. …

US opioid crisis: Pharma giants to pay $590 million to Native Americans to settle claims
2 years, 10 months ago

US opioid crisis: Pharma giants to pay $590 million to Native Americans to settle claims

Firstpost  

The US opioid crisis has claimed more than 500,000 lives over the last 20 years and ensnared some of the largest firms in the world of American medicine New York, United States: A group of pharmaceutical companies and distributors agreed to pay $590 million to settle lawsuits connected to opioid addiction among Native American tribe members, according to a US …

Native American tribes reach $590-million settlement over opioids
2 years, 10 months ago

Native American tribes reach $590-million settlement over opioids

LA Times  

More than 400 tribes and intertribal organizations representing about 80% of tribal citizens have sued over opioids. Native American tribes in the U.S. have reached settlements over the toll of opioids totaling $590 million with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and the country’s three largest drug distribution companies, according to a court filing made Tuesday. The filing in the U.S. District …

An opioid-ravaged West Virginia town awaits trial verdict
2 years, 10 months ago

An opioid-ravaged West Virginia town awaits trial verdict

Associated Press  

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Sarah Kelly recalls the fleeting moments when she reached out for help during a decadeslong opioid addiction, only to find out no residential treatment beds were available in an overloaded system in her corner of West Virginia. “I couldn’t live without them anymore.” Six months have passed since closing arguments were held in the first lawsuit over …

New York jury holds drugmaker Teva liable in opioid crisis
2 years, 11 months ago

New York jury holds drugmaker Teva liable in opioid crisis

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Drugmaker Teva Pharmaceuticals contributed to the opioid crisis, a suburban New York jury ruled Thursday in one of few verdicts so far among thousands of lawsuits nationwide over the painkillers. A separate trial will follow to determine what Teva will have to pay in the case, in which New York state and two Long Island counties took …

US jury holds pharmacy chains responsible for role in opioid crisis
3 years, 1 month ago

US jury holds pharmacy chains responsible for role in opioid crisis

ABC  

US pharmacies CVS, Walgreens and Walmart recklessly distributed massive amounts of pain pills in two Ohio counties, a federal court jury has found. Key points: It was the first time pharmacy companies completed a trial to defend themselves over their role in the US drug crisis The opioid drug crisis has killed half a million Americans over the past two …

Washington seeks over $38 billion from opioid distributors
3 years, 1 month ago

Washington seeks over $38 billion from opioid distributors

Associated Press  

SEATTLE — After rejecting a half-billion-dollar settlement, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Monday took the state’s case against the nation’s three biggest drug distributors to trial, saying they must be held accountable for their role in the nation’s opioid epidemic. In an email, Ferguson stressed that the relevant Washington laws differ and called the cases “apples and oranges.” Public …

Drug companies win in California opioid crisis lawsuit
3 years, 1 month ago

Drug companies win in California opioid crisis lawsuit

Associated Press  

LOS ANGELES — A California judge has ruled for top drug manufacturers as local governments seek billions of dollars to cover their costs from the nation’s opioid epidemic. Orange County Superior Court Judge Peter Wilson issued a tentative ruling on Monday that said the governments hadn’t proven the pharmaceutical companies used deceptive marketing to increase unnecessary opioid prescriptions and create …

Orange County judge rules in favor of drugmakers in California opioid crisis lawsuit
3 years, 1 month ago

Orange County judge rules in favor of drugmakers in California opioid crisis lawsuit

LA Times  

OxyContin bottles, or facsimiles thereof, lie scattered on the ground at an anti-opioid demonstration in Washington in April 2019. Superior Court Judge Peter Wilson issued a tentative ruling Monday saying the county governments hadn’t proved that the pharmaceutical companies used deceptive marketing to increase unnecessary opioid prescriptions and create a public nuisance. The plaintiffs said they were disappointed by the …

Companies: $26B settlement of opioid lawsuits to move ahead
3 years, 3 months ago

Companies: $26B settlement of opioid lawsuits to move ahead

Associated Press  

Four companies in the drug industry said Saturday that enough states had agreed to a settlement of lawsuits over the opioid crisis for them to move ahead with the $26 billion deal. An announcement from the three largest U.S. drug distribution companies and a confirmation from drugmaker Johnson & Johnson, which had previously announced that it would move ahead, came …

US drug companies say $26bn opioid settlement will proceed
3 years, 3 months ago

US drug companies say $26bn opioid settlement will proceed

Al Jazeera  

Companies say ‘enough’ US states joined a settlement resolving claims they fuelled the opioid epidemic, allowing it to move ahead. Three large US drug distributors and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson will proceed with a proposed $26bn settlement resolving claims that they fuelled the opioid epidemic after “enough” states joined in, the companies said. The companies had until Saturday to decide …

Was It 'Reasonable' To Ship 81 Million Opioid Pills To This Small West Virginia City?
3 years, 4 months ago

Was It 'Reasonable' To Ship 81 Million Opioid Pills To This Small West Virginia City?

NPR  

Was It 'Reasonable' To Ship 81 Million Opioid Pills To This Small West Virginia City? Enlarge this image toggle caption David Goldman/AP David Goldman/AP The outcome of a landmark federal opioid trial in West Virginia that reached closing arguments this week rests on two legally thorny questions. Was it "unreasonable" for three of America's biggest corporations — the drug wholesalers …

US opioid lawsuits on verge of settlements with 4 companies
3 years, 5 months ago

US opioid lawsuits on verge of settlements with 4 companies

Associated Press  

The yearslong effort by state and local governments in the U.S. to force the pharmaceutical industry to help pay to fix a nationwide opioid addiction and overdose crisis took a major step forward Tuesday when lawyers for local governments announced they were on the verge of a $26 billion settlement with the nation’s three biggest drug distribution companies and the …

State Attorneys General Reach A $26 Billion National Opioid Settlement
3 years, 5 months ago

State Attorneys General Reach A $26 Billion National Opioid Settlement

NPR  

State Attorneys General Reach A $26 Billion National Opioid Settlement Enlarge this image toggle caption Steven Senne/AP Steven Senne/AP A bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general announced on Wednesday a $26 billion national settlement with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and three companies that distributed opioid painkillers even as addiction and overdose deaths skyrocketed. "The opioid epidemic has torn families apart …

EXPLAINER: $26B opioid settlement big step, but not the end
3 years, 5 months ago

EXPLAINER: $26B opioid settlement big step, but not the end

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A $26 billion settlement between the three biggest U.S. drug distribution companies and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and thousands of states and municipalities that sued over the toll of the opioid crisis is certainly significant — but it is far from tying a neat bow on the tangle of still unresolved lawsuits surrounding the epidemic. In West …

Opioid maker J&J, distributors near $26B deal with US states
3 years, 5 months ago

Opioid maker J&J, distributors near $26B deal with US states

Al Jazeera  

Along with Johnson & Johnson, the proposed settlement includes distributors McKesson Corp, Cardinal Health Inc and AmerisourceBergen Corp. Opioid maker Johnson & Johnson and three drug distributors are expected to disclose this week the final terms of a $26 billion settlement for thousands of lawsuits accusing them of fueling a public-health crisis, according to people familiar with the deal. Along …

U.S. opioid lawsuits on verge of settlements with 4 companies
3 years, 5 months ago

U.S. opioid lawsuits on verge of settlements with 4 companies

LA Times  

The three biggest U.S. drug distribution companies and the drugmaker Johnson & Johnson are on the verge of a $26-billion settlement covering thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids such as OxyContin. The years-long effort by state and local governments in the U.S. to force the pharmaceutical industry to help pay to fix a nationwide opioid addiction and overdose …

J&J agrees to pay $230M to settle New York opioid claim
3 years, 5 months ago

J&J agrees to pay $230M to settle New York opioid claim

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $230 million to New York state to settle claims that the pharmaceutical giant helped fuel the opioid crisis, Attorney General Letitia James said on Saturday. The drugmaker also agreed to permanently end the manufacturing and distribution of opioids across New York and the rest of the nation, James said in …

Opioid Trial In West Virginia Comes Amid A National Reckoning For Big Pharma
3 years, 6 months ago

Opioid Trial In West Virginia Comes Amid A National Reckoning For Big Pharma

NPR  

Opioid Trial In West Virginia Comes Amid A National Reckoning For Big Pharma Enlarge this image toggle caption Brian Mann/NPR Brian Mann/NPR During years when the prescription opioid epidemic was spiraling out of control, corporate executives at the drug wholesaler McKesson sent at least two memos ordering employees to "refrain from using the word 'suspicious'" to describe escalating opioid orders …

US trial opens against companies accused of stoking opioid crisis
3 years, 7 months ago

US trial opens against companies accused of stoking opioid crisis

Al Jazeera  

Drug companies accused of fomenting opioid addiction in the United States are facing millions of dollars in damages in a trial that opened on Monday in the state of West Virginia, which has been hit hard by the epidemic of addiction and overdoses. “It is fitting that the trial will proceed in West Virginia, which has been ground zero of …

Judge rejects pharmacy chains’ bid to toss opioid suits
4 years, 4 months ago

Judge rejects pharmacy chains’ bid to toss opioid suits

Associated Press  

CLEVELAND — Lawsuits filed by two Ohio counties against retail pharmacy chains claiming their opioid dispensing practices flooded communities with pain pills and were a a public nuisance can continue, a federal judge in Cleveland has determined. U.S. District Judge Dan Polster rejected the pharmacy chains’ motion to dismiss the suits, ruling Thursday that the Ohio law does indeed apply …

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