CVS Health agrees to multibillion-dollar settlement of opioid lawsuits

(AP)

CVS Health has announced an agreement in principle that would make it the first major US pharmacy chain to reach a nationwide settlement of lawsuits over how it handled prescriptions for powerful and addictive prescription opioid painkillers.

The Rhode Island company would pay about five billion dollars (£4.35 billion) over 10 years under a deal that, if accepted, would be one of the largest settlements over the crisis.