Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd has agreed to pay up to $126 million to U.S. hospitals over 18 years to settle claims that its marketing of opioid drugs raised the hospitals' operating costs, Reuters reported. As part of the proposed settlement, disclosed in Teva's quarterly earnings statement Wednesday, the Israel-based drugmaker also agreed to supply $49 million of the anti-overdose drug naloxone. Teva said that it had been sued by about 500 U.S. hospitals and other health care providers over opioids, and that the settlement would only be finalized if the company was satisfied that enough hospitals agreed to take part. Litigation against drugmakers, pharmacies and distributors over opioids, mostly brought by state, local and Native American tribal governments, has already resulted in more than $50 billion in total settlements, including a $4.35 billion settlement Teva reached last year.
