CVS Health, Walgreens, and Walmart have tentatively agreed to pay over $12 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits with state, local, and tribal governments accusing the pharmacy chains of mishandling prescriptions of opioid painkillers.
CVS would pay approximately $5 billion over the next 10 years, Walgreens would pay at least $4.95 billion over 15 years, and Walmart would pay $3 billion under the proposed deal if the municipalities agree to the terms, settling years of litigation over the matter.
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“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 wellbeing of our customers and patients, while making positive contributions to address the opioid crisis,” Walgreens said in a statement.
The municipalities that are part of the lawsuit still need to agree to the terms before the final remediation payments are finalized, though it is likely to be one of the largest settlements over the opioid crisis.
CVS Health said that roughly $130 million will go to tribal communities under their tentative agreement, though it said that the settlement is not an admission of any wrongdoing. Both CVS and Walgreens said they have installed time delay safes at their pharmacies to help combat opioid theft and provided medication disposal options, among other initiatives aimed at tackling the crisis.
Pharmaceutical chains have been one of the main entities faulted in opioid crisis lawsuits, largely stemming from arguments that they failed to adhere to federal laws requiring them to assess whether controlled substance prescriptions are written for a legitimate medical purpose in the usual course of the prescriber’s professional practice.
Pharmacies have pushed back on these claims, saying that the blame lies with the doctors who are overprescribing the drugs to their patients.
More than 3,000 lawsuits have been filed by states, cities, and local governments against opioid manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies for their roles in the crisis. Earlier this year, drug distributors AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson agreed to pay tribal communities up to $665 million to resolve lawsuits accusing them of distributing the “highly addictive” opioids without taking into account the risks for abuse or death.
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Opioids are a type of drug that are typically used to reduce pain. Prescription opioids, including oxycodone and morphine, are prescribed by doctors to treat severe or moderate pain, though they can be highly addictive and have serious risks. Over 500,000 people died in the U.S. from overdoses involving an opioid between 1999 to 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
