Several allegations that CVS and Walgreens contributed to the opioid epidemic by failing to oversee opioid painkiller prescriptions adequately have been settled for a combined $10.7 billion.
A portion of these funds will be distributed to states, local governments, and federally recognized tribes for abating and resolving the opioid crisis.
According to reports, CVS will pay $4.9 billion to states and political subdivisions and approximately $130 million to tribes. In contrast, Walgreens will pay $4.95 billion in addition to $750 million in attorney fees and expenses.
Furthermore, the chains have agreed to expand opioid prescription reviews and institute new mandatory training programs to ensure compliance with controlled substances.
According to the nonprofit State Health Access Data Assistance Center, the overdose fatality rate from all opioids tripled between 2011 and 2020, going from 7.3 per 100,000 people to 21.4 per 100,000. Deaths from illegal drugs like heroin and fentanyl, frequently prescribed as a painkiller, have increased while decreases from prescription drugs like oxycontin have leveled off.
“When people can’t simply stop their consumption, as in the case of addiction, they often turn to substitutes,” wrote Colin Planalp, a research fellow at the center. “With opioids, that, unfortunately, left many people to seek out substances such as heroin on the illicit market, where the purity and potency is unreliable, making them even riskier than prescription opioids. And once drug traffickers embraced the potent opioid fentanyl, it pervaded the illegal drug trade and became entangled with non-opioid substances, such as cocaine and methamphetamine.”
“We are pleased to resolve these longstanding claims, and putting them behind us is in the best interest of all parties, as well as our customers, colleagues, and shareholders,” said Thomas Moriarty, chief policy officer of CVS Health. “We are committed to working with states, municipalities, and tribes and will continue our important initiatives to help reduce the illegitimate use of prescription opioids.”
Walgreens said, “As one of the largest pharmacy chains in the nation, we remain committed to being a part of the solution, and this settlement framework will allow us to keep our focus on the health and well-being of our customers and patients while making positive contributions to address the opioid crisis.”
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