West Virginia & Walgreens reach $83 million opioid settlement

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey stated on Wednesday that West Virginia and Walgreens have reached a $83 million settlement for the pharmacy chain’s involvement in fostering the opioid crisis in the state with the highest per capita overdose mortality rate in the United States.

According to the office of the Attorney General

this puts the total amount of money received by West Virginia. As a result of the opioid case to over $950 million. One more opioid case needs to be resolved for the state at this time. June will see a Kroger trial. Morrisey declared, “We’re all down, one to go.” We are able to make out the end of the tunnel.

The agreement resolves a lawsuit in which it was alleged that the pharmacy chain’s failure to keep effective controls against diversion contributed to the state’s opioid oversupply. According to Morrisey, Walgreens agreed to pay the amount over an eight-year period. To end the opioid issue, the state will receive funding from all opioid settlements.

Walgreens is a party to a broader lawsuit that also includes Kroger, Walmart, CVS, and Rite Aid.

Walmart and CVS Pharmacy settled a legal dispute with West Virginia for a combined sum of $147 million in a lawsuit. Concerning the corporations’ responsibilities in contributing to the excess of prescription medications that drove the opioid epidemic, Morrisey revealed in September. Three significant U.S. medication distributors. AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health, and McKesson. Negotiated a $400 million provisional settlement with West Virginia cities . Morrisey stated in April that the state will get $99 million as part of a deal reached with Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. A division of Johnson & Johnson.

The West Virginia Attorney General’s Office claims that Kroger neglected to notify the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy . And the U.S. Medication Enforcement Administration about any suspicious drug orders. Furthermore, the state asserts that during a period when opioids were being delivered in sizable quantities across the state, Kroger in fact did not have a suspicious order monitoring procedure.

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