Judge in opioid lawsuit talks wants DEA to share drug data

CLEVELAND (AP) — A federal judge wants government-held data about prescription painkiller sales and distribution to be shared with attorneys involved in settlement talks about hundreds of lawsuits over the country’s opioid epidemic.

U.S. District Court Judge Dan Polster has ordered the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to decide by Monday whether it will agree to share some of the data collected through a system that shows information about manufacturer and distributor transactions and the pharmacies that buy drugs.

A lawyer representing government entities suing drug companies has requested the release of the full database.

Cleveland.com reports Judge Polster says that information can help “track whose pills went where, specifically.”

The DEA opposes releasing the full database but in a Monday court filing proposed limited disclosure of the data.