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.
The distribution companies -- AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson -- said that 42 states had agreed to join. Johnson & Johnson did not immediately say how many states agreed to its part of the settlement. Under the $26 billion settlement, which was initially announced in June, states were given a month to decide whether to join. Then it would be up to the companies to decide whether it was enough to keep going.
Saturday's milestone came days after a judge gave initial approval to a settlement worked out in bankruptcy court between OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and some 3,000 plaintiffs. That deal could be worth $10 billion over time.
But trust em to vax us. I don't think so