Washington state’s attorney general on Monday argued in court that three large drug distributors’ excessive shipments of pain pills helped fuel the U.S. opioid epidemic, calling it the “worst man-made public health crisis in history,” as the state sought to recoup an estimated $95 billion.
The argument came at the start of a trial in the state’s bid to recover more money from distributors McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., and AmerisourceBergen Corp. than it would have received in a $26 billion nationwide settlement.
