Drug companies say enough U.S. states join $26 billion opioid settlement to proceed

(Removes reference to eight states joining deal)

By Nate Raymond

(Reuters) – Three large U.S. drug distributors and the drugmaker Johnson & Johnson will move forward with a proposed $26 billion settlement resolving claims that they fueled the opioid epidemic after “enough” states joined the deal, according to letters on Saturday reviewed by Reuters.

(This story has been corrected to remove reference to eight states joining deal)

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Sonya Hepinstall)