UNDATED (AP) — The three biggest U.S. drug distribution companies and the drugmaker Johnson & Johnson are on the verge of a $26 billion deal to settle lawsuits brought by state and local governments across the country over the toll of prescription opioids, lawyers suing on behalf of local governments said. Full details of the settlement involving AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson could come this week but it could take months to get final approval from state and local governments. A $1 billion-plus deal involving the three distributors and the state of New York was also announced Tuesday.
Photo: Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, right, speaks at a news conference to discuss a settlement in an opioid trial, Tuesday, July 20, 2021, in Central Islip, N.Y. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone is behind her. New York State reached an agreement Tuesday with the distribution companies AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson to settle an ongoing trial. That deal alone would generate more than $1 billion to abate the damage done by opioids there. The trial is expected to continue, but the settlement leaves only three drug manufacturers as defendants. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
