Politicians, Government Agencies Feud Over Payouts Tied To Opioid Epidemic
Drug companies are paying hundreds of millions of dollars to end lawsuits tied to the opioid epidemic. As payouts grow, government leaders are fighting over where the money should go.
Government officials are bickering over hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements paid by Big Pharma, stemming from the nation's deadly opioid epidemic.
The pharmaceutical industry paid out more than half a billion dollars over the last year alone. All sides expect the scale of settlements to grow fast as more cases go to trial.
Drug companies are accused of kick-starting the addiction crisis by aggressively marketing opioid pain medications over the past two decades. During the epidemic, roughly from overdoses tied to prescription pain pills, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
