ATLANTA — Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced Thursday that the State of Georgia joined national settlements with several drug companies to resolve allegations that they contributed to the opioid crisis.
Carr said that now that Georgia joined the settlements with CVS, Walgreens, Teva and Allergan, the state will receive over $181 million in total base payments to help fund critical treatment, prevention, reduction and recovery services.
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Opioids have been linked to more than 500,000 deaths in the U.S. in the past two decades.
“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 Associated Press reported that Walgreens and CVS finalized a settlement with state and local governments last month to resolve lawsuits related to opioid abuse.
Drugstores were subject to claims that they should have realized they were filling too many opioid prescriptions.
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According to the national settlements, CVS is required to pay $5 billion and Walgreens to pay $5.7 billion. They also agreed to require pharmacies to monitor, report, and share data about suspicious activity related to opioid prescriptions.
Carr said when Georgia officially joined the CVS and Walgreens settlements on Dec. 21, 2022, they were put in the position to receive a base payment of $50.1 million from CVS and $58.7 million from Walgreens.
CVS and Walgreens were not defendants in the state’s ongoing litigation involving opioid distributors; however, they approached the state with settlement offers, which Georgia accepted.
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Teva and Allergan
According to the national settlements, Teva is required to pay $4.25 billion and Allergan $2.37 billion, as well as have strict limitations regarding the marketing, promotion, sale and distribution of opioids.
Carr said Georgia joined the settlements with Teva and Allergan on Dec. 19, 2022 and is now positioned to receive a base payment of $44.9 million from Teva and $27.4 million from Allergan.
Both Teva and Allergan were defendants in Georgia’s litigation involving opioid manufacturers.
Carr said local governments have 90 days from the sign-on date to join the settlements with the four companies.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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