The U.S. Justice Department said it'll argue that it's entitled to a portion of any settlements or judgments in a consolidated case involving more than 300 lawsuits against opioid makers and distributors.

Local governments pressing lawsuits to hold pharmaceutical companies responsible for the opioid epidemic urged a judge to take the strongest version of Purdue Pharma Inc.s Oxycontin painkiller off the market.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Polster summoned pharma executives, law enforcement, government officials and lawyers to his court on Wednesday to forge a deal that would address the crisis and resolve more than 200 lawsuits

U.S. District Judge Dan Polster on Tuesday told lawyers representing drugmakers and governments that he intends to push for a settlement that does more than just moves money around.

Purdue Pharma LP acknowledged in a letter that the maker of the opioid painkiller Oxycontin is in negotiations with state attorneys general over lawsuits accusing the company of creating a public-health crisis with its mishandling of the drug.

AstraZeneca Plc is in talks to settle a Texas lawsuit claiming that the company fleeced the states Medicaid program by fraudulently marketing one of its top drugs, according to court filings.

Insys Therapeutics Inc. founder John Kapoor is accused of helping fuel the U.S. opioid epidemic by bribing doctors to prescribe a powerful form of fentanyl to patients who didnt need the potent drug.

Excerpts from depositions were made public in an investors lawsuit accusing Theranos officials of misrepresenting the companys performance and blood-testing technology.