Cencora Shares Plagued by $111M Opioid Settlement Stock Falls 0.84% as Trading Volume Ranks 263rd

Cencora (COR) fell 0.84% on August 18, 2025, with a trading volume of $340 million, ranking 263rd in market activity. The decline follows a $111 million settlement reached by the company’s directors to resolve claims that they failed to address the company’s role in the U.S. opioid crisis. The agreement, disclosed in a Delaware court filing, involves allegations that Cencora’s leadership ignored risks related to opioid distribution, including questionable shipments and insufficient oversight of sales. The settlement, while smaller than previous multi-billion-dollar agreements with state and local governments, adds to the company’s ongoing legal and financial burdens.

The settlement stems from a lawsuit by pension funds that accused Cencora’s directors of breaching fiduciary duties by not preventing the company’s involvement in the opioid epidemic. The case was initially dismissed in 2022 but revived in 2023 after an appeal. Cencora, which rebranded from AmerisourceBergen in 2023, has faced extensive litigation over its role in the crisis, including a $6.4 billion national settlement in 2022. The company maintains that the latest agreement is non-admission of liability and aims to avoid further litigation costs. The settlement’s terms emphasize its fairness to shareholders but underscore the persistent legal risks tied to the opioid crisis.

Compounding legal challenges, Cencora also settled a $40 million class-action lawsuit in August 2025 related to a February 2024 data breach affecting 1.43 million individuals. The breach, involving the exfiltration of sensitive data, has drawn multiple lawsuits against the company. These overlapping legal pressures highlight the broader financial and reputational risks facing Cencora, which has spent years navigating a wave of lawsuits from governments, insurers, and other stakeholders over its opioid distribution practices.

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