Attorneys for the state of West Virginia have reached a tentative $161.5 million settlement with drugmakers Teva Pharmaceuticals and AbbVie in a trial over the opioid epidemic, ABC News reported May 25.
The state's lawsuit against the companies alleged they downplayed the risks of opioid addiction while overstating the drug's benefits, the report said. Under the tentative deal, Teva would provide West Virginia with $27 million worth of opioid overdose reversal drug Narcan. The state would also receive more than $134.5 million in cash.
A proposed plan would allocate 72.5 percent of the settlement to a nonprofit organization established to distribute opioid settlement money, the report said. Local governments would receive 24.5 percent, and 3 percent would go to the state government.