EXPLAINER: Where do US opioid trials, settlements stand?

A trial on whether pharmacy chain Walgreens bears responsibility for the opioid crisis started Monday in Florida on the heels of opening statements last week in another opioid trial in West Virginia

The effort to hold drug companies, pharmacies and distributors accountable for their role in the opioid crisis has led to a whirlwind of legal activity around the U.S. that can be difficult keep tabs on.

Three trials are underway now, in Florida, West Virginia and Washington state. New legal settlements are being reached practically every week to provide governments money to fight the crisis and in some cases funds for medicines to reverse overdoses or to help with treatment. More settlements are likely on the way.

More than 3,000 lawsuits have been filed by state and local governments, Native American tribes, unions, hospitals and other entities in state and federal courts over the toll of opioids. Most allege the industry created a public nuisance in a crisis that has been linked to the deaths of 500,000 Americans over the past two decades.

Collectively, businesses have faced settlements, judgements and civil and criminal penalties totaling more than $47 billion in the last 15 years. The three main entities targeted are the companies that manufactured and sold the pills; the businesses that distributed them; and the pharmacies that dispensed them.