Tentative $161.5 million settlement reached in opioid trial

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Attorneys for the state of West Virginia and two remaining pharmaceutical manufacturers have reached a tentative $161.5 million settlement. Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced the development as closing arguments were set to begin in a 7-week trial. The state sued Teva Pharmaceuticals, AbbVie’s Allergan and their family of companies. The judge agreed to put the trial on hold to give the parties the chance to reach a full settlement agreement. West Virginia had reached a $99 million settlement with Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals last month (April 2022). Before the trial started, the state announced a $26 million settlement with defendant Endo Health Solutions.