Walgreens, CVS and others to pay $17.3 billion for role in California opioid crisis

Walgreens and CVS, and two pharmaceutical companies, will pay a total of $17.3 billion to settle with the state of California for their role in the opioid crisis, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Friday.

Pharmacy chains CVS will pay $5 billion, while Walgreens will pay $5.7 billion. Opioid makers Allergan and Teva will pay $2.37 billion and $4.25 billion, respectively.

“Nothing can bring back the lives lost or erase the suffering caused by this crisis, but we are making sure those who caused it and profited from it are held to account for their greed and willful misconduct. These hard-fought and hard-won settlement funds will be critical in supporting victims and getting them the help they need to recover,” Bonta said in a statement.

The Sacramento Bee has reached out to all four companies for comment.

A spokeswoman for CVS said in an email that “we are pleased to finalize this agreement, which was previously announced in November 2022, and to resolve these claims that date back a decade or more.”

The settlements with Allergan and Teva are intended to resolve allegations that the pharmaceutical manufacturers downplayed the risks of opioid addiction while overstating the benefits when marketing their pills, according to the Attorney General’s Office.

As for the pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens, this settlement is intended to handle claims that they ignored signs of prescription drug abuse, Bonta’s office said.

A third retailer, Walmart, is expected to settle soon in a case valued at up to $3.1 billion, according to the Department of Justice.

“Since the first wave of the opioid epidemic hit the United States in 2000, it has taken hundreds of thousands of lives, torn families apart, and eroded the social fabric of communities. Its toll has continued to grow year after year,” according to the attorney general’s office.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2021, more than 80,000 people may have died of opioid overdoses, with more than 11,200 of those deaths taking place in California.

The money from the settlement announced Friday will be spent to improve substance abuse treatment facilities, increase the availability of the anti-overdose nasal spray Narcan, provide more training to law enforcement and first responders and “address the needs of communities of color and vulnerable populations, including those who are unhoused,” according to the DOJ.

This story was originally published June 9, 2023 at 11:19 AM.