Allergan to pay $5 million to settle Ohio opioid suit

Drug maker, based in Ireland, is one of the smaller players named in the litigation

Allergan PLC said it agreed to pay $5 million to settle its part of a landmark federal opioid trial slated to begin in Cleveland in October.

The Dublin-based pharmaceuticals company said it would pay $1.9 million to Summit County, Ohio, and $3.1 million to Cuyahoga County, Ohio, the two plaintiffs whose claims were chosen to serve as bellwethers in sprawling litigation over the opioid epidemic.

Pharmaceutical company Endo International PLC earlier this month reached a $10 million settlement with the counties in the litigation.

Endo and Allergan are among the smaller players slated to go on the defense in the October trial.

Other companies involved include drugmakers Purdue Pharma LP, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Johnson & Johnson, and drug distributors McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Corp.

The companies have denied allegations that their marketing and distribution practices are to blame for fueling the opioid crisis and asked a judge to find in their favor.

Earlier this week, an Oklahoma judge ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for contributing to that state’s opioid-addiction crisis, a verdict the drugmaker said it would appeal.

Purdue paid $270 million and Teva paid $85 million to settle claims by Oklahoma’s attorney general ahead of the trial.

Allergan said it is seeking indemnification from other parties relating to one of its products involved in the litigation. The company said it doesn’t have liability for generic claims, as it sold all of its generic assets to Teva in 2016.

Allergan, which said it hasn’t actively marketed or promoted any opioid products since 2013, said it opted to settle due to the anticipated time and defense costs for the trial.