opioid

Behind the spike in deaths from the deadly opioid fentanyl is the age-old problem of addiction. NTD obtained a firsthand narrative about the essence of this challenge from recovered opioid addict Roger Garrison.      

The Supreme Court put on hold a proposed bankruptcy plan for beleaguered opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma, which is accused of playing a major role in fueling the ongoing opioid crisis. Although the Aug. 10 ruling does not finalize the case, it is a tactical victory for the Biden administration, which urged the court to take […]

Anne Milgram, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, testifies to a hearing on “Oversight of the Drug Enforcement Administration” held by the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance at 10:00 a.m. ET on July 27. The hearing will examine the administration’s operations, including its handling of America’s unprecedented fentanyl and opioid crisis.

LAS VEGAS—The state of Nevada has reached a $285 million settlement with Walgreens regarding the pharmacy chain’s role in the opioid epidemic, the state’s top lawyer announced Wednesday. The last in a series of multiyear settlements with pharmaceutical companies, retailers, and others, it pushes Nevada’s total anticipated payments stemming from opioid claims to $1.1 billion, […]

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 […]

CHARLESTON, W.Va.—West Virginia has settled for $83 million with Walgreens for the pharmacy store chain’s role in perpetuating the opioid crisis in the U.S. state with the most per capita overdose deaths, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced Wednesday. That brings the total West Virginia dollars brought in from opioid litigation to more than $950 million, […]

OKLAHOMA CITY—Oklahoma entered settlement agreements with three major pharmacy chains and an opioid manufacturer totaling more than $226 million, Attorney General John O’Connor announced Wednesday. Including the new settlements with drugmaker Allergan and pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart, Oklahoma has received more than $900 million from opioid makers and distributors to help address the […]

Walmart proposed a $3.1 billion legal settlement on Tuesday over the toll of powerful prescription opioids sold at its pharmacies, becoming the latest major drug industry player to promise major support to state, local and tribal governments still grappling with a crisis in overdose deaths. The retail giant’s announcement follows similar proposals on Nov. 2 […]

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries will pay a total of about $523 million to New York state to settle lawsuits that alleged the Israeli-based company had contributed to the opioid epidemic in the United States. The $523 million total opioid payout to New York comprises two separate settlement agreements with Teva. The other settlement is a nationwide one reached […]

The two largest U.S. pharmacy chains, CVS Health and Walgreen Co., announced agreements in principle Wednesday to pay about $5 billion each to settle lawsuits nationwide over the toll of opioids, and a lawyer said Walmart, a third pharmacy behemoth, is in discussions for a deal. The prospective settlements are part of a shift in […]

Leading consulting firm McKinsey & Co. has agreed to settle claims by hundreds of U.S. local governments and school districts around the country that it fueled an epidemic of opioid addiction through its work for bankrupt OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP and other drug companies. The deal was disclosed in a court filing Wednesday evening […]

CVS Health Corp. and Walmart Inc. have agreed to pay $147.5 million to settle West Virginia’s claims over their alleged roles in the state’s opioid crisis, state Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said Tuesday. CVS agreed to pay $82.5 million and Walmart agreed to pay approximately $65 million, according to the state. West Virginia had been […]

CHARLESTON, W.Va.—A federal judge on Monday ruled in favor of three major U.S. drug distributors in a landmark lawsuit that accused them of causing a health crisis by distributing 81 million pills over eight years in one West Virginia county ravaged by opioid addiction. The verdict came nearly a year after closing arguments in a […]

BOISE—Idaho officials on Friday announced a $119 million settlement with drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and three major distributors over their role in the opioid addiction crisis. Republican Gov. Brad Little and Republican Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said it’s the second-largest consumer settlement in state history, trailing only the 1998 national tobacco settlement of $712 million. […]

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will not be issuing new contracts to the consulting firm McKinsey and Co. amid an investigation into potential conflicts of interest, a top official has confirmed. The U.S. House Oversight Committee is currently investigating McKinsey over allegations that it was working for the U.S. government on issues relating to the opioid epidemic while at […]

A Congressional report alleges that consulting firm McKinsey engaged in a “serious conflict of interest” by working for the U.S. government on issues relating to the opioid epidemic while, at the same time, advising drugmakers, including on projects meant to persuade regulators about the safety of opioid products. The U.S. House Oversight Committee alleged in […]

Purdue Pharma reached a nationwide settlement Thursday over its role in the opioid crisis, with the Sackler family members who own the company boosting their cash contribution to as much as $6 billion in a deal intended to staunch a flood of lawsuits facing the maker of OxyContin. The deal follows an earlier settlement that […]