ST PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says five new settlements with major manufacturers and pharmacies could bring more than $235 million to the state for opioid treatment and prevention.
The settlements are with major opioid manufacturers Teva Pharmaceuticals and Allergan, and three of the nation's largest retail pharmacy chains: Walmart, CVS and Walgreens.
In July, Ellison previously announced tentative agreements with Teva and Allergan.
Ellison said in a released statement that "we're continuing to hold opioid companies and others that contributed to the crisis accountable for the death and destruction they've caused in Minnesota and around the country. No amount of money can ever restore the lives we've lost or make up for the damage these companies have done, but these funds will flow to communities where the pain is still being felt."
The AG's office says data from the Minnesota Department of Health shows that from 2020 to 2021, opioid-involved overdose deaths increased by 35% to an all-time high of 924 in 2021.
"Fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid, was involved in the majority of the deaths," according to the news release.
Ellison says the five settlements with the manufacturers and pharmacies are worth $20.4 billion nationally.
The release provided these statistics of the settlements:
- Teva will pay up to $4.25 billion over 13 years.
- Allergan will pay up to $2.37 billion over 7 years.
- Walmart will pay up to $3.1 billion over 6 years, with a possibility for states to earn the entire amount in the first year.
- CVS will pay up to $5 billion over 10 years.
- Walgreens will pay up to $5.7 billion over 15 years.
In all, more than 3,000 lawsuits have been filed by state and local governments, Native American tribes, unions, hospitals and other entities in state and federal courts over the toll of opioids. Most allege the industry created a public nuisance in a crisis that has been linked to the deaths of 500,000 Americans over the past two decades.
For more information on how Ellison and the state are fighting against the opioid endemic, visit this page on the attorney general's website.
