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In the United States, drugmakers have flooded the market with powerful, sophisticated opioids. And that's fueled an epidemic of addiction. But across Africa many patients can't afford even mild painkillers — let alone medications to help people in extreme pain.

Cuyahoga County, Ohio, is using opioid settlement money to expand an addiction recovery program that helps patients after they're discharged from the ER.

Editor's Note: This hour discusses topics of drug addiction that some listeners may find disturbing or offensive. If you or anyone you know is living with addiction and depression, there are resources available for help. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's website or call the helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). Also, visit the American Society of Addiction Medicine or American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry to find a list of qualified physicians by zip code or by state.

Two counties in Ohio have reached a major opioid settlement with the drug industry. It's valued at roughly $260 million. Local officials say that money paid out by drugmakers and distributors is desperately needed as they struggle to cope with the addiction crisis. But the settlement in Cleveland failed to produce clear legal precedents or any kind of national model for compensation as many observers had hoped. North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann reports.

Three U.S. drug distributors and a manufacturer reached a last-minute deal with two Ohio counties Monday, avoiding what would have been the first trial in a federal case on the opioid crisis.

Ohio's attorney general has moved to derail a massive suit against the opioid industry.

Attorneys for local governments across the country unveiled a plan Friday that they say would move the nation closer to a global settlement of lawsuits stemming from the deadly opioid crisis.

Each year, thousands of people from across the country go to Florida seeking treatment for drug addiction. Some find help and recover, but the vast majority relapse and continue to struggle with the disease, even after going through treatment many times.