(Media release from the Office of Georgia’s Attorney General Chris Carr):
Attorney General Chris Carr today announced that the State of Georgia has joined national settlements with CVS, Walgreens, Teva and Allergan to resolve allegations that the companies contributed to the opioid crisis. By simply joining the settlements, Georgia stands to receive more than $181 million in total base payments to help fund critical treatment, prevention, reduction and recovery services.
“No Georgia community is a stranger to the devastating effects of the opioid crisis, and we must do all we can to support those who are struggling,” said Carr. “Today’s announcement is another step forward in our ongoing efforts to combat this epidemic and address the widespread damage its caused. Our top priority is to protect our fellow Georgians, and joining these settlements will ensure that our state receives much-needed resources to help expand critical treatment and recovery services.”
CVS and Walgreens
The national settlements require CVS to pay $5 billion and Walgreens to pay $5.7 billion, for a total of $10.7 billion. CVS and Walgreens, along with Walmart in a settlement announced last month, have also agreed to court-ordered injunctive relief that requires the pharmacies to monitor, report, and share data about suspicious activity related to opioid prescriptions.
Georgia officially joined the settlements with CVS and Walgreens on Dec. 21, 2022. By doing so, the state is positioned to receive a base payment of $50.1 million from CVS and $58.7 million from Walgreens.
CVS and Walgreens were not defendants in Georgia’s ongoing litigation involving opioid distributors. Instead, the companies approached the state with these settlement offers, which Georgia then accepted.
Teva and Allergan
The national settlements require Teva to pay $4.25 billion and Allergan to pay $2.37 billion, for a total of $6.6 billion. Teva and Allergan have also agreed to strict limitations regarding the marketing, promotion, sale and distribution of opioids.
Georgia officially joined the settlements with Teva and Allergan on Dec. 19, 2022. By doing so, the state is positioned to receive a base payment of $44.9 million from Teva and $27.4 million from Allergan.
Teva and Allergan were defendants in Georgia’s litigation involving opioid manufacturers.
Local governments have 90 days from the sign-on date to join the settlements with CVS, Walgreens, Teva and Allergan.
