Opioids and Laws – level 3
24-10-2019 07:00
A deal of $5 billion dollars is about to close between the US, local governments, US states, and drug manufacturers like Amerisource Bergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson Corporation.
The agreement’s purpose is to settle thousands of lawsuits against the drug producers who are accused of provoking the opioid epidemic. The $50 billion deal would recover all costs that communities faced due to opioid addiction like medical care, police assistance, and addiction treatment.
The groups involved are trying to close the deal by the end of next week before the first federal trial in Ohio on the opioid crisis. The settlement would allow them to avoid a court case.
In the US, there are more than 2,000 lawsuits accusing the drug companies of feeding the opioid crisis and creating 400,000 deaths in two decades.
Difficult words: close (finish a deal), purpose (the reason for which something exists or is done, made), opioid epidemic (when many people are addicted to pain drugs called opioids), provoke (bring about or cause something to happen).
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