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Opioid settlement is big step, but not the end

FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2021, file photo, Johnson & Johnson logo appears on the exterior of a first aid kit in Walpole, Mass. The three biggest U.S. drug distribution companies and the drugmaker Johnson & Johnson are on the verge of a $26 billion settlement covering thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids across the U.S., two people with knowledge of the plans told The Associated Press. The settlement involving AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson is expected this week. A $1 billion-plus deal involving the three distributors and the state of New York was planned for Tuesday, July 20. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2021, file photo, Johnson & Johnson logo appears on the exterior of a first aid kit in Walpole, Mass. The three biggest U.S. drug distribution companies and the drugmaker Johnson & Johnson are on the verge of a $26 billion settlement covering thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids across the U.S., two people with knowledge of the plans told The Associated Press. The settlement involving AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson is expected this week. A $1 billion-plus deal involving the three distributors and the state of New York was planned for Tuesday, July 20. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File) FILE - In this Feb. 24, 2021, file photo, Johnson & Johnson logo appears on the exterior of a first aid kit in Walpole, Mass. The three biggest U.S. drug distribution companies and the drugmaker Johnson & Johnson are on the verge of a $26 billion settlement covering thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids across the U.S., two people with knowledge of the plans told The Associated Press. The settlement involving AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson is expected this week. A $1 billion-plus deal involving the three distributors and the state of New York was planned for Tuesday, July 20. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

By The Associated Press 4 min read

A $26 billion settlement between the three biggest U.S. drug distribution companies and drugmaker Johnson & Johnson and thousands of states and municipalities that sued over the toll of the opioid crisis is certainly significant – but it is far from tying a neat bow on the tangle of still unresolved lawsuits surrounding the epidemic.

Besides the months-long process of state and local governments deciding whether to sign onto the settlement, there are three current cases in the U.S., others set to begin soon and the bankruptcy of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to resolve.

Here’s a look at other legal proceedings across the nation:

Opioid trials are happening now. Does this end them?

The three opioid trials happening already are expected to continue, but one of them will be a lot different.