Pa. Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced on Monday that CVS, Walgreens and other companies will pay over $54.1 billion nationwide due to their role in the country’s opioid crisis.
Out of that, Pennsylvania will receive $2.2 billion.
The payments are the result of a multistate investigation led by Attorneys General across the country, including Shapiro. It looked into manufacturers, distributors and pharmacies.
“No amount of money will bring back the lives we lost," Shapiro said in a news release.
"But today’s agreement with CVS and Walgreens will help to ensure Pennsylvanians suffering from opioid addiction get the treatment and recovery resources they need.”
In addition to CVS and Walgreens, part of Pa.’s $2.2 billion will come from companies like Walmart, Teva and Allergen. Bankrupt companies like Purdue, Mallinckrodt and Endo will also contribute.
The payments, according to the office of Pa. Attorney General, “are structured to ensure critical support in early years as well as sustained resources over time.”
As part of the settlement, Walgreens, CVS and Walmart will also have to abide by a court-ordered injunctive relief ruling that “the pharmacies monitor, report and share data about suspicious activity related to opioid prescriptions.”
The relief is intended to put a halt to and prevent the ongoing opioid crisis, at the same time “holding the greedy companies accountable,” Shapiro said.
Since 2013, an increasing number of state, local and tribal governments have been pushing for legislation to mandate the pharmaceutical industry pay for reducing the ongoing costs of prescription painkillers which have resulted in substance abuse, death and crime.
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