Oklahoma has reached a settlement worth $226 million with a pharmaceutical company and three pharmacy chains that distributed opioids statewide, Attorney General John O’Connor announced Wednesday.
Settlement with Allergan Pharmaceuticals, Walgreens, CVS and Walmart Exceeds $900 Million in Total State Recovery from Opioid Manufacturers and Distributors, with Oklahoma Leading All States in Per Capita Recovery It’s getting close.
“The opioid crisis has caused untold suffering to Oklahoma families and caused the deaths of thousands of Oklahoma citizens,” O’Connor said. “From 2016 to 2020, more than 3,000 of Oklahomans have died of opioid overdoses.Like previous opioid solutions, Oklahoma’s recovery must be used to reduce and treat opioid addiction and save lives statewide .”
A spokesperson for O’Connor’s office said Wednesday that the $900 million total recovery does not include the $495 million that the state awarded in a 2019 non-jury trial. That ruling against Johnson was overturned in 2021 by the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
Oklahoma’s incoming Attorney General Gentner Drummond may still seek a settlement with Johnson & Johnson.
Pharmacies pay biggest sums in latest opioid settlement
Walgreens has agreed to pay Oklahoma $79.5 million out of the $5.7 billion it is paying to settle lawsuits nationwide, according to a news release from O’Connor’s office. These funds will pay him over 15 years.
CVS will pay Oklahoma $73 million of the $5 billion it is paying to settle lawsuits nationwide. These funds are paid out over 10 years.
Walmart will pay Oklahoma most of the $41 million it agreed to pay in 2023. We will pay a total of $3.1 billion to settle the lawsuits we face across the country.
Ireland-based Allergan manufactured Norco and Kadian branded opioids and generic opioids before selling its generic opioid business to Teva in 2016. Oklahoma $32.6 million. Oklahoma reached an $85 million settlement agreement with Teva in 2019.
How will Oklahoma use the opioid settlement money?
Oklahoma law requires that nearly all funds raised through settlements of opioid lawsuits be used for programs that provide opioid use prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery services. Counties and cities that sign the settlement agreement will receive a certain amount of the proceeds through distribution by the Oklahoma Opioid Reduction Commission.
According to Oklahoma Department of Health data, there were 733 drug overdose deaths in Oklahoma in 2020, a 24% increase from 2019. The surge in drug overdose deaths includes a 170% increase in deaths from fentanyl from 2019 to 2020. , there are more cases than before that appear to involve illegally manufactured fentanyl.
O’Connor has his staff, the state’s external legal team, the Mitigation and Review Board, and the Oklahoma Commission on Opioid Abuse analyze and develop methods for the overall impact of drugs on Oklahoma residents. Thank you for your professionalism, hard work and dedication over the past five years. To counter its impact and secure funding to pay for those efforts.
“Their research has allowed us to better understand addiction in Oklahoma, the extent and nature of overdoses, and how best to combat the state’s opioid epidemic,” he said.
