Ohio judge keeps OptumHealth in opioid MDL pharmacy benefit manager bellwethers

A federal judge overseeing the National Prescription Opiate Litigation MDL in the Northern District of Ohio ruled that OptumHealth, the healthcare delivery arm of UnitedHealth Group's Optum division, cannot escape bellwether cases alleging pharmacy benefit managers contributed to the opioid epidemic. The judge found that a recent Sixth Circuit decision did not strip the court of jurisdiction over the related state-law claims against OptumHealth. The allegations against OptumHealth have not been adjudicated on the merits.

Why it matters. Keeping a major pharmacy benefit manager in the opioid MDL bellwether pool preserves a litigation track that could shape settlement values for thousands of other PBM-related opioid claims.