Johnson & Johnson said yesterday that it agreed to pay $99 million to settle claims by West Virginia that it helped fuel an opioid addiction crisis in the state, removing the company from an ongoing trial that began earlier this month, Reuters reported. West Virginia is still pursuing claims against Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd and AbbVie Inc's Allergan in the Kanawha County Circuit Court trial for their alleged role in the crisis. The state accused the companies of causing a "tsunami" of addiction. J&J did not admit liability or wrongdoing in the settlement, the company said. The other companies, which have previously denied the accusations, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. West Virginia previously reached a $26 million settlement with Endo International Plc, which had also been a defendant in the ongoing trial.
