opioids

4 Drug Companies Agree to Pay $26 Billion to Resolve Opioid Lawsuits

The drugs led to the overdose deaths of more than 500,000 people from 2009 to 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Three major drug distributors and the pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson have agreed to a $26 billion settlement with states to resolve thousands of lawsuits over the country's opioid crisis, officials announced Wednesday.

The four companies — which also include Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen and McKesson — were accused by states, cities and counties of playing a significant role in funneling a flood of opioid painkillers to communities across the U.S.

The drugs led to the overdose deaths of more than 500,000 people from 2009 to 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For more on this story, go to NBC News.

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