Walmart proposed a $3.1 billion legal settlement on Tuesday over the toll of powerful prescription opioids sold at its pharmacies, becoming the latest major drug industry player to promise major support to state, local and tribal governments still grappling with a crisis in overdose deaths. The retail giant’s announcement follows similar proposals on Nov. 2 from the two largest U.S. pharmacy chains, CVS Health and Walgreen Co., which each said they would pay about $5 billion.
Most of the drugmakers that produced the most opioids and the biggest drug distribution companies have already reached settlements. the settlement dollars — now totaling more than $50 billion. Opioids of all kinds have been linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. over the past two decades. In recent years, opioid deaths have soared to record levels, around 80,000 a year.
— source apnews.com | Nov 15, 2022
