A lawyer for two Ohio counties said CVS Health Corp., Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. and Walmart Inc. should fund an $878 million plan to address the opioid crisis there, as a first-of-its-kind trial got underway to determine the pharmacy chains’ contribution.
Endo International plc announced that the Tennessee Court of Appeals reversed a trial court judge’s order denying a motion for recusal by Endo’s wholly owned subsidiaries Endo Health Solutions Inc. and Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. in Clay County et al. v. Purdue Pharma, L.P., et al, pending in the Circuit Court for Cumberland County, Tennessee, and remanded the case for transfer to a different judge.
A California judge on Nov. 1 said he would rule against several large counties that accused four drugmakers of fueling the U.S. opioid epidemic, saying they failed during a trial to prove their $50 billion case.
A federal appeals court rejected a bid by eight drug retailers and distributors to disqualify the judge overseeing nationwide opioid litigation after they claimed his rulings, public statements and efforts to encourage settlements created an appearance of bias.
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.