CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Walmart and CVS Pharmacy have reached a total of $147 million settlement with the state of West Virginia over the companies’ role in the oversupply of prescription drugs that fueled the opioid epidemic in the nation’s hardest-hit state, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced Tuesday.
Walmart and CVS were two lawsuits that were part of a larger trial that was postponed until June of next year, along with Kroger and Walgreens. Morrisey recently announced a settlement with Rite Aid for up to $30 million to resolve similar litigation.
The lawsuits allege that by contributing to the oversupply of prescription opioids in the state, the pharmacies have “caused significant losses from their past and ongoing medical treatment costs, including for minors born with opioid addiction, rehabilitation costs, naloxone costs, coroner costs, self-funded state insurance costs, and other forms of losses related to opioid-related suffering and death.”
This brings the total settlement amount of the states in opioid lawsuits to $875 million, including $296 million with manufacturers, $400 million with wholesalers and $177.5 million with pharmacies.
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“These settlements will not bring back the lives lost to the opioid epidemic, but this and other settlements will hopefully provide significant relief to those most impacted by this crisis in our state,” Morrisey said during a press conference. “This development also avoided a costly and lengthy process, and at the end of the day, West Virginia will have the highest per capita settlement results in the country in the fight for our people.”
Walmart agreed to settle for $65 million and CVS agreed to settle for $82.5 million. Morrisey said the deal with CVS included a clause that meant West Virginia could still receive money from future national settlements.
Money from all opioid settlements will be distributed across the state to help curb the opioid crisis.
In August, West Virginia cities and counties agreed to a preliminary $400 million settlement with three major U.S. drug distributors: AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson. In April, Morrisey announced the state would receive $99 million as part of a settlement with Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc.
