Walgreens reaches $683 million opioid settlement with Florida By Reuters

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: An indication for a Walgreens retailer is seen in Belle Glade, Florida January 6, 2010. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Picture

By Dietrich Knauth

(Reuters) -Walgreens Boots Alliance stated on Thursday it has reached a $683 million settlement with Florida to resolve claims that the pharmacy chain exacerbated an opioid epidemic within the state.

The settlement contains $620 million to be paid to Florida over 18 years, plus $63 million for authorized charges.

It ends a trial that started on April 11, after Walgreens determined to not be a part of a mixed $878 million settlement with 4 different healthcare corporations.

Walgreens didn’t admit to wrongdoing as a part of the settlement.

Florida has recovered greater than $Three billion in opioid litigation towards drugmakers, distributors and pharmacies, in keeping with Moody. It should spend a lot of the cash on efforts to mitigate the opioid disaster within the state.

“I’m glad that we now have been in a position to finish this monumental litigation and transfer previous the courtroom,” Florida Legal professional Normal Ashley Moody stated on Thursday throughout a press convention.

CVS Well being Corp (NYSE:) beforehand agreed to settle with Florida for $484 million, whereas Teva Pharmaceutical Industries (NYSE:) Ltd, Abbvie Inc’s Allergan (NYSE:) unit and Endo Worldwide (NASDAQ:) Plc agreed to pay a respective $194.eight million, $134.2 million and $65 million. All denied wrongdoing.

The nationwide opioid disaster has led to greater than 500,000 overdose deaths within the final twenty years, in keeping with the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.

Greater than 3,300 lawsuits have been filed towards drugmakers, distributors and pharmacies over the disaster, together with claims they performed down the dangers of dependancy and overdoses, and had been lax is monitoring the place drugs ended up.