Opioids
If someone you know suffered from opioids
- negligently or recklessly prescribed by a physician, physician's assistant or licensed nurse practitioner,
and/or
- dispensed by CVS, Walgreens or other pharmacies,
then please contact our Law Offices to see if you have a viable claim and may be entitled for compensation.
Our Law Offices handle such cases nationwide in conjunction with local co-counsel.
The Law Offices of Gregory Krasovsky
1629 K Street NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: +1-202-558-5287
Fax: +1-202-558-5346
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Skype: Krasovsky
Facebook: www.facebook.com/gkrasovsky911
YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6N9WNZiCUmj3FUxqbi6XrA/
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CVS, Walgreens announce opioid settlements totaling $10B
By GEOFF MULVIHILL
November 2, 2022
A CVS Pharmacy is shown in Mount Lebanon, Pa., on Monday May 3, 2021. On Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022, CVS Health said it has agreed to pay about $5 billion to state, local and Native American tribal governments to settle lawsuits over the toll of opioids. CVS is not admitting wrongdoing and the company would make the payments over a decade. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
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A CVS Pharmacy is shown in Mount Lebanon, Pa., on Monday May 3, 2021. On Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022, CVS Health said it has agreed to pay about $5 billion to state, local and Native American tribal governments to settle lawsuits over the toll of opioids. CVS is not admitting wrongdoing and the company would make the payments over a decade. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The two largest U.S. pharmacy chains, CVS Health and Walgreen Co., announced agreements in principle Wednesday to pay about $5 billion each to settle lawsuits nationwide over the toll of opioids, and a lawyer said Walmart, a third pharmacy behemoth, is in discussions for a deal.
The prospective settlements are part of a shift in the legal landscape surrounding the opioid epidemic. Instead of suspense over whether companies in the drug industry would be held to account through trials or settlements, the big question is now how their money will be used and whether it will make a difference in fighting a crisis that has only intensified.
The deals, if completed, would end thousands of lawsuits in which governments claimed pharmacies filled prescriptions they should have flagged as inappropriate. With settlements already proposed or finalized between some of the biggest drugmakers and distribution companies, the recent developments could be the among the last multibillion-dollar settlements to be announced.
They also would bring the total value of all settlements to more than $50 billion, with most of it required to be used by state and local governments to combat opioids, which have been linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. over the last two decades.
https://apnews.com/article/health-business-lawsuits-rhode-island-epidemics-50f3aa9cbe82b775cd3d7520c286ef25
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CVS and Walgreens agree to $10 billion in tentative deals on opioid cases. Walmart will also reportedly settle
- https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/02/us/cvs-walgreens-walmart-opioid-settlement
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CVS, Walmart, Walgreens agree to pay $13.8 bln to settle U.S. opioid claims
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CVS and Walgreens Near $10 Billion Deal to Settle Opioid Cases
The dual agreements would resolve thousands of lawsuits over the retailers’ role in the addiction crisis. But a large majority of state, local and tribal governments must sign on.
- https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/02/health/cvs-walgreens-opioids-settlement.html
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CVS, Walgreens agree to settle opioid lawsuits for $10 billion
The pharmacy giants will pay close to $5 billion apiece to resolve litigation with states, cities and tribes tied to the painkillers
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/11/02/cvs-opioid-settlement/
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CVS, Walgreens to Pay More Than $10 Billion to Settle Opioid Lawsuits
Drugstore chains agree to make payments to states, cities and tribes that sued over opioid abuse
- https://www.wsj.com/articles/cvs-to-pay-5-billion-to-settle-opioid-lawsuits-11667358371
***Opioid epidemic in the United StatesIn the United States, the opioid epidemic (also known as the opioid crisis) is an extensive ongoing overuse of opioid medications, both from medical prescriptions and from illegal sources. The epidemic began in the United States in the late 1990s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when opioids were increasingly prescribed for pain management and resulted in a rise in overall opioid use throughout subsequent years.[3] The great majority of Americans who use prescription opioids do not believe that they are misusing them.[4]There were around 100,300 drug overdose deaths in the US in the 12-month period ending April 30, 2021.[5] From 1999 to 2020, nearly 841,000 people died from drug overdoses,[6] with prescription and illicit opioids being responsible for more than 500,000 of those deaths, up to 2019.[7] In 2017 alone, there were 70,237 recorded drug overdose deaths, and of those deaths, 47,600 involved an opioid.[8][9] A report from December 2017 estimated 130 people every day in the United States die from an opioid-related drug overdose.[10]Those addicted to opioids, both legal and illegal, are increasingly young, white, and female, with 1.2 million women addicted compared to 0.9 million men in 2015. The problem is significantly worse in rural areas, where social and economic variables, health behaviors, and accessibility to health care resources are responsible for a higher death rate.[11] Teen use of opioids has been noticeably increasing, using prescription drugs more than any illicit drug except cannabis; more than cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine combined.[12]Ohio jury trialOn October 4, 2021, a landmark trial began in a Cleveland court. The defendants are pharmacy chains and operators, including Walmart, Walgreens and CVS. These chains are accused of not having enough trained staff and sophisticated systems to responsibly dispense opioids.[286][287] Lawyers allege that pharmacies have not fulfilled their legal responsibility to act as a "last line of defense,”[287] and that the chains enable illegal street dealing of prescription opioids.[286]Lake and Trumbull Counties in northeast Ohio were the plaintiffs and alleged the chains had “substantially contributed to the crisis of opioid overdose and deaths….” in the counties. In November 2021, a 12-person jury, after five and a half days of deliberation, held the retailers accountable for contributing to a “public nuisance.” This was the first jury verdict in the decades-long crisis. The retailers said they would appeal the jury's verdict.[288]On August 17, 2022, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart were forced to pay out $650.5 million to Lake and Trumbull County.[289]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opioid_epidemic_in_the_United_States#Legal_action
