DOJ shares painkiller sales data amid opioid lawsuit talks

The U.S. Department of Justice has shared some federal data about prescription painkiller sales to help with settlement talks between local governments and drug companies targeted in hundreds of lawsuits over the opioid epidemic.

The department previously agreed to release certain data on the grounds it not be circulated publicly and be returned or destroyed when the litigation is finished.

The information includes a year-by-year, state-by-state breakdown of companies that made and distributed most of the opioids in each state between 2006 and 2014. It also includes how many pills were sold annually in each state and each drug company's market share.

The Justice Department announced Tuesday that the data was turned over to federal Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland and selected attorneys.