CVS Health Corp, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc and Walmart Inc are required to fund a settlement plan of $878 million which will address the companies' role in the opioid crisis in two Northeast Ohio counties.
In November, a federal jury ruled that the companies played a major role in creating a public nuisance in Ohio's Lake and Trumbull counties by flooding the counties with addictive prescription pain pills.
The attorney representing the counties said that the counties are now looking forward to getting an $878 million five-year plan to deal with the opioid crisis. The statement was made by the attorney in front of U.S. Judge Dan Polster in Cleveland, where the trial was ongoing.
CVS, Walgreens and Walmart responded to the ruling by stating that they deny the claims made by the counties and would appeal the November verdict. The companies have planned to buy back unused prescription opioid drugs in the two counties by implementing a one-year program. The companies even argued that Ohio's public nuisance law demands the companies to stop only the nuisance identified by the jury, which includes an oversupply of the drugs.
The companies argued that they should not be forced to cover costs related to illegal drug use if they must buy the drugs back. The counties argued that the oversupply of prescription drugs resulted in creating a market for illegal drugs like heroin and synthetic fentanyl.
According to the data provided by the government, the opioid epidemic in the U.S. has resulted in more than 500,000 overdose deaths over two decades. A recent wave of proposed settlements indicates that drugmakers, distributors and pharmacy chains face more than 3,300 opioid lawsuits against them over the opioid crisis.
