⚠ Opioid and Implant Litigation Came With AllerganLow threat

AbbVie (ABBV) — threat to the moat

With Allergan, AbbVie also bought about 335 opioid lawsuits and more than 1,400 breast implant cases.

Allergan brought AbbVie legal cases as well as products. Approximately 335 opioid-related lawsuits are pending against Allergan1. Allergan's textured breast implants, withdrawn in 2019, are the subject of about 150 lymphoma lawsuits and 1,320 other lawsuits coordinated in a federal multidistrict litigation, with more in state courts and abroad2.

Litigation inherited with AllerganOpioid lawsuits pendingabout 335Implant ALCL lawsuits, federal MDLabout 150Other implant lawsuits, federal MDLabout 1,320Total litigation accrual, end-2025about $1.6bnAbbVie Form 10-K FY2025
The liabilities that came with the drugs.

These cases are part of the price of the acquisition, and they will take years to resolve. AbbVie's total litigation accrual was approximately $1.6 billion at the end of 20253.

None is large against AbbVie's earnings. Together they are a steady cost of the Allergan deal.

Some opioid cases have already been settled. AbbVie disclosed a settlement framework of up to $2.02 billion in its 2022 10-K4, covering many of the government claims against Allergan. The remaining suits are the tail of that liability, and the implant cases a separate one.

The implant cases are spread across courts. Beyond the federal multidistrict litigation, the 10-K reports about 75 lymphoma cases and 470 other cases in state courts, and about 70 lymphoma cases and 1,080 others outside the United States5. They will be resolved one jurisdiction at a time.

The accrual is the gauge. A large increase would say one of the inherited cases had turned against AbbVie.

References
  1. ReportedApproximately 335 opioid-related lawsuits are pending against Allergan.
    AbbVie Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 - Item 1A risk factors, patents and exclusivity, government pricing and legal proceedings. — FY2025 · publ. 20 February 2026 · source ↗
  2. ReportedAllergan's textured breast implants, withdrawn in 2019, are the subject of about 150 lymphoma lawsuits and 1,320 other lawsuits coordinated in a federal multidistrict litigation, with more in state courts and abroad.
    AbbVie Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 - Item 1A risk factors, patents and exclusivity, government pricing and legal proceedings. — FY2025 · publ. 20 February 2026 · source ↗
  3. ReportedAbbVie's total litigation accrual was approximately $1.6 billion at the end of 2025.
    AbbVie Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 - Item 1A risk factors, patents and exclusivity, government pricing and legal proceedings. — FY2025 · publ. 20 February 2026 · source ↗
  4. ReportedAbbVie disclosed a settlement framework of up to $2.02 billion in its 2022 10-K, covering many of the government claims against Allergan.
    AbbVie Form 10-K for fiscal 2022 - the opioid settlement framework of up to $2.02 billion. — FY2022 · publ. February 2023 · source ↗
  5. ReportedBeyond the federal multidistrict litigation, the 10-K reports about 75 lymphoma cases and 470 other cases in state courts, and about 70 lymphoma cases and 1,080 others outside the United States.
    AbbVie Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 - Item 1A risk factors, patents and exclusivity, government pricing and legal proceedings. — FY2025 · publ. 20 February 2026 · source ↗
Sources
Generated September 25, 2026