Eight drug companies urged a federal appeals court to disqualify the judge overseeing nationwide opioid litigation, in a last-ditch effort to avoid having him preside over a landmark trial.

A U.S. government watchdog harshly criticized the Drug Enforcement Agency’s response to the opioid crisis, saying amid a surge in opioid-related deaths the agency failed to use the DEA’s most powerful deterrent and authorized an increase in pain pill output.

Purdue Pharma filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and agreed to pay between $10 and $12 billion to settle the drug manufacturer’s involvement in the health-care crisis.

OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP reached a tentative agreement with some plaintiffs to resolve litigation over the company’s alleged role in fueling the U.S. opioid crisis and plans to tussle with states opposing the settlement offer in bankruptcy proceedings, people familiar with the matter said.