Trending News Today: Mylan Reaches Settlement, Pays $465 Million in EpiPen Suit

Mylan NV has agreed to pay $465 million for allegations that the company misclassified its EpiPen as a generic, overcharging Medicaid by millions of dollars. According to The Wall Street Journal, the HHS’s Office of the Inspector General estimates Medicaid paid $1.27 billion more than it would have for EpiPen between 2006 and 2016. Sen Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Rep Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) issued statements saying the settlement was far too low, the Journal reported.

The Cherokee Nation filed written arguments with a federal judge to allow a lawsuit alleging distributors and retailers of opioid medications contributed to the prescription opioid abuse epidemic among the tribe’s citizens. According to The Associated Press, 6 distribution and pharmaceutical companies allegedly created conditions in which “vast amounts of opioids have flowed freely from manufacturers to abusers and drug dealers,” and has cost the tribe hundreds of millions in health care costs. It is unclear when US District Judge Terence Kern will make a decision, according to the article.

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is financing a soda tax advertising campaign in support of a Chicago-area sweetened beverage tax, according to The Wall Street Journal. Bloomberg’s charity will spend $2 million on radio, television, and digital ads, to support the notion that the tax could help fight the childhood obesity and diabetes epidemic, and support Cook County hospitals and health care programs.