The judge overseeing U.S. cities’ and counties’ lawsuits against makers of opioid painkillerssaid he hopes a sweeping resolution can be worked out by the end ofthe year that will have a “meaningful impact’’ on the burgeoningdrug epidemic.

U.S. District Judge Dan Polster on Tuesday told lawyersrepresenting drugmakers, including Purdue Pharma Inc. and Johnson & Johnson, and governmentsthat he intends to push for a settlement that does more than “justmoves money around.’’

“We have to dramatically reduce the total number of pills outthere, and make sure the pills that are out there are being usedproperly,’’ the Cleveland-based judge said. “We all know a lot ofthose pills have gone walking with devastating results’’--referring to the resale of the drugs on the black market.

Polster is overseeing more than 200 cases filed by localgovernments accusing drugmakers and drug distributors, such asMcKesson Corp., of creating a public-healthcrisis with their mishandling of the powerful drugs, which areblamed for killing 150 Americans daily.

Purdue officials confirmed in November that they are insettlement talks with a group of state attorneys general and tryingto come up with a global resolution of the government opioidclaims.

The opioid makers are accused in the lawsuits of downplaying theaddiction risks and overstating the effectiveness of their drugs.Some of the states hired big-name plaintiffs’ lawyers in hopes ofgenerating a Big Tobacco-style settlement. Cigarette makers agreedin 1999 to pay $246 billion to settle states’ suits that sought torecoup the costs of smoking to society.

Polster sequestered groups of plaintiffs’ lawyers representingcities and counties and drugmakers’ defense lawyers in separatecourtrooms Monday in hopes of laying the groundwork for asettlement.

If no deal can be reached, Polster said he’s prepared to try thestate of Ohio’s claims against opioid makers in 2019.

“I’ll try the case I have jurisdiction over,’’ he said. Thejudge added the opioid crisis is “100 percent man-made’’ andfederal courts are unlikely places to find solutions.

The case is National Prescription Opiate Litigation, 17-md-2804,U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio (Cleveland)

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