CVS and Walgreens , Agree to Pay a Combined , $10.7 Billion Opioid Crisis Settlement .<br />NBC reports that CVS and Walgreens will pay <br />$10.7 billion to settle allegations that the pharmacies <br />failed to adequately oversee prescriptions for opioids.<br />NBC reports that CVS and Walgreens will pay <br />$10.7 billion to settle allegations that the pharmacies <br />failed to adequately oversee prescriptions for opioids.<br />The funds will go towards <br />opioid crisis abatement <br />and remediation programs.<br />Funds will reportedly be distributed among <br />various state and local governments <br />and federally recognized tribes. .<br />NBC reports that CVS will pay $4.9 billion <br />to states and political subdivisions, <br />in addition to $130 million to tribes.<br />Meanwhile, Walgreens will pay out <br />$4.95 billion, on top of over $750 million <br />in fees for attorneys and costs.<br />In addition to fines, both pharmacies will also implement <br />controlled substance compliance programs to review <br />opioid prescriptions and provide mandatory training.<br />The opioid epidemic has tragically <br />affected too many Illinois families <br />that have experienced addiction <br />or even the death of a loved one, Kwame Raoul, Illinois Attorney General, via NBC.<br />This $10.7 billion settlement with Walgreens <br />and CVS builds upon the important progress <br />we’ve already achieved with previous <br />settlements, but more importantly, <br />it holds both companies accountable, Kwame Raoul, Illinois Attorney General, via NBC.<br />NBC reports that the overdose <br />death rate from opioids tripled <br />between 2011 and 2020.<br />In 2011, the nonprofit State Health Access <br />Data Assistance Center found 7.3 deaths <br />per 100,000 people were opioid related.<br />By 2020, that number had <br />climbed to 21.4 deaths <br />per 100,000 people
