Teva settles with Oklahoma ahead of opioid trial

Teva Pharmaceuticals has agreed to pay the state of Oklahoma $85 million ahead of an opioid trial set to begin today. The state has accused the generics company and two other pharma companies — Purdue Pharma and Johnson & Johnson — of downplaying the risks of taking opioids while also overstating their benefits, which caused doctors to unnecessarily prescribe the drugs. It could take up to two weeks for the terms of Teva’s settlement to be finalized. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said that the trial would still continue as planned against J&J, the only remaining defendant in the trial. Back in March, Purdue agreed to pay $270 million to Oklahoma. In a statement, Teva maintained that its settlement does not mean it is admitting to any wrongdoing.