NY AG has ‘no comment’ on whether criminal charges will be pursued against company executives; NC AG predicts ‘north of 40 states’ expected to accept settlement and would then need to convince municipalities to come on board. States with ongoing litigation against manufacturers may opt for jury trial instead. 

As sponsors and US FDA continue to face fallout, newly launched digital archive of industry documents from opioid litigation and settlements will be free public resource for those investigating activities that led to the opioid epidemic. It is modeled on the archive of tobacco industry documents, which has been the basis of about 1,000 scientific publications.

Industry executives note lessons learned from ‘fascinating’ approaches DOJ and states have taken in recent settlements, from restrictions on Novartis speaker programs to targeting McKinsey’s marketing advice. Chart includes details of 18 settlements since January 2020.