McKesson

Here are your morning headlines for Tuesday, Oct. 22:National opioid settlement could be hard sell;Drug companies to pay $260M to settle lawsuit;Lakewood…

Updated: 5:39, Oct. 21, 2019 The three largest U.S. drug distributors and one drugmaker reached a $260 million settlement with Cuyahoga and Summit counties hours before the start of the first trial in the wide-ranging national litigation over the opioid crisis. Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish, Summit County Executive Ilene Shapiro and Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said they had reached a settlement in principle with distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson as well as drug manufacturer Teva.

A group of drug companies is pushing for U.S. District Judge Dan Polster to recuse himself from the wide-reaching array of local government lawsuits over the opioid crisis, objecting to the judge’s push for settlements. Attorneys for Cardinal Health, McKesson, AmerisourceBergen and other drug makers and distributors filed the motion Saturday morning in federal court in Cleveland.

Ohio has joined communities around the state, along with cities, counties and some other states in suing four companies that distributed prescription…