Walmart to pay $215 million to settle Florida opioid claims
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[October 21, 2022]
By Brendan Pierson
(Reuters) -Walmart Inc has agreed to pay
$215 million to resolve claims its pharmacies fueled an epidemic of
opioid addiction in Florida, the state's attorney general announced on
Thursday.
As part of the deal, Walmart has also agreed to dispense 672,000
treatment kits with the anti-overdose drug naloxone to first responders
in the state.
"I'm grateful for Walmart stepping up and agreeing to partner with the
state to provide law enforcement and first responders with much-needed
naloxone," Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a statement. "This will
greatly help in our continuing mission to end the opioid crisis and save
lives."
The state has now secured a total of $3.2 billion through legal action
to help fight the opioid crisis, according to Moody's office. That
includes recent settlements of $683 million with Walgreens Boots
Alliance, $484 million with CVS Health Corp and a combined $394 million
with three drugmakers.
"This partnership is the latest chapter in Walmart's commitment to fight
the opioid crisis," Walmart spokesperson Randy Hargrove said in a
statement.
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![](../images/102122PIX/health30.jpg)
The exterior of a Walmart department
store is pictured in West Haven, Connecticut, U.S., February 17,
2021. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Oct/21/images/ads/current/peasley_lda_PPP_2022.png) The retailer, which did not admit
any wrongdoing, previously settled opioid-related claims brought by
West Virginia for $65 million and New Mexico for an undisclosed sum.
It was also ordered in August to pay a combined $650.6 million with
Walgreens and CVS to two Ohio counties.
The U.S. opioid crisis has caused more than 500,000 overdose deaths
over two decades, according to federal government data. More than
3,300 lawsuits have been filed accusing drugmakers, distributors and
pharmacy chains of fueling the crisis.
Major drugmakers and distributors have reached nationwide
settlements worth more than $30 billion altogether, resolving most
lawsuits against them, while pharmacy operators have continued to
litigate or settle cases one by one.
(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Deepa
Babington, Alexia Garamfalvi and Bill Berkrot)
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