Gem State Wire

Boise, ID – Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced the final approval of $17.3 billion in opioid agreements with drug makers Teva and Allergan and pharmacies CVS and Walgreens. Following successful state sign-on and subdivision sign-on periods, the defendants have committed to the deal and will start releasing funds to a national administrator later this summer. Money is expected to start flowing to state and local governments by the end of 2023.

“For decades, the pharmaceutical industry has profited from marketing and distributing addictive opioids. The unrestrained access of these drugs has had a devastating impact on our communities. This settlement holds the entire industry accountable and demonstrates our commitment to changing the business practices of opioid drug companies and their distributors,” Attorney General Labrador said.

The settlements will also require Teva’s opioid business to provide stringent injunctive relief that, among other things, will prevent all opioid marketing and ensure systems are in place to prevent drug misuse. Additionally, Allergan is required to stop selling opioids for the next 10 years. CVS and Walgreens have agreed to injunctive relief that requires the pharmacies to monitor, report, and share data about suspicious activity related to opioid prescriptions. This court-ordered injunctive relief will help ensure a crisis like this does not happen again. A final agreement with Walmart is not being announced on June 20; there are different process for finalizing that settlement, which is anticipated in the coming weeks.

Idaho will receive $76 million over 15 years. National investigations and litigation against the pharmaceutical industry over the opioid crisis has led to more than $50 billion. To date, Idaho has received $28.5 million.

Teva and Allergan negotiations were led by Attorneys General from North Carolina, Iowa, California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. CVS and Walgreens negotiations were led by Attorneys General from North Carolina, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Texas.

Original source can be found here.