Endo Pharmaceuticals has agreed to an $11 million settlement to resolve claims that the drugmaker helped fuel the opioid epidemic, according to Bloomberg. The settlement allows Endo to sidestep a potentially damaging opioid trial set to begin in October.
As part of the settlement, Endo will pay $10 million and donate $1 million worth of diabetes and allergy drugs to two Ohio counties that were chosen to serve as bellwethers in litigation over the opioid epidemic.
Endo still faces similar lawsuits from hundreds of other cities, counties and states.
The landmark October trial will still proceed against other drugmakers and distributors, including Purdue Pharma, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen. It is the first trial in the U.S. that seeks to hold drugmakers and distributors liable for opioid addiction and overdoses.
The companies named as defendants have denied allegations that their marketing and distribution practices fueled the opioid crisis in the U.S.
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