A group of state attorneys general unveiled on July 21 a landmark $26 billion settlement with large drug companies for allegedly fueling the deadly nationwide opioid epidemic, but the deal still requires support from thousands of local governments.

With a $26 billion nationwide settlement in sight over claims that the three largest U.S. drug distributors and Johnson & Johnson helped fuel a nationwide opioid epidemic, state and local governments will soon turn their attention to pharmacies and a handful of drugmakers.

The three largest U.S. drug distributors agreed mid-trial to pay up to $1.18 billion to settle claims by New York state and two of its biggest counties over their role in the nationwide opioid epidemic, the state’s attorney general said on July 20.

A record number of Americans died of drug overdoses during 2020 as pandemic lockdowns made getting treatment difficult and dealers laced more drugs with a powerful synthetic opioid, according to data released on July 14 and health officials.

Pharmacy operators Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., CVS Health Corp., Rite Aid Corp. and Walmart Inc. agreed to pay a combined $26 million to settle claims by two New York counties that they fueled an opioid addiction epidemic.

Fifteen more states reached an agreement with Purdue Pharma LP and members of its wealthy Sackler family owners that moved the OxyContin maker a step closer to resolving widespread opioid litigation and exiting bankruptcy protection.

At least seven people in five U.S. states were infected with the novel coronavirus weeks before those states reported their first cases, a new government study showed.

Avenue Therapeutics Inc. said on June 14 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had once again declined to approve the company’s non-opioid painkiller tramadol, sending the drugmaker’s shares lower in trading.

On June 5, the United States and the rest of the world marks a grim milestone – the 40th anniversary of the HIV epidemic. While the virus has taken the lives of an estimated 35 million people over the last 40 years, an end could be in sight as biopharma researchers continue to develop safe and effective new treatments, with an eye toward a potential cure.

The Biden administration is releasing $7.4 billion to bolster the nation’s healthcare workforce amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and to prepare for future epidemics and health challenges, the White House said in a statement on May 13.