On Tuesday, November 15, 2022, Walmart released a statement confirming that they have agreed to offer $3.1 Billion for their part in the opioid crisis facing the United States. This offer is a broad offer to extending to over two thousand individual lawsuits currently ongoing and involving Walmart’s pharmaceutical sales. Walmart’s current offer comes just shortly after the settlements that both Walgreens Pharmacy and CVS Pharmacy reached earlier this year.
The current opioid crisis was just increased from killing nearly 50,000 individuals every year, to now 80,000 individuals. This number has increased for many reasons, one of which because of the COVID-19 epidemic. Overdoses have increased incredibly, and fatal overdoses are on the rise as well. These overdoses come from both legal and illegal drugs, as fentanyl and heroin are now included in the number of cases. Prescription drugs make up a significant fraction of the death toll.
The settlement offer, which is 238 pages long, seeks to end thousands of lawsuits and legal claims currently facing the third largest pharmacy business in the United States. Walmart also states that their settlement offer “Will provide significant aid to communities across the country in the fight against the opioid crisis, with aid reaching state and local governments faster than any other nationwide opioid settlement to date, subject to satisfying all settlement requirements.” The specific provisions in the settlement agreement include language to expedite the process so that the victims may receive their funds as soon as possible. The provisions also include references to funding for attorney fees. addiction services, and other programs to combat the opioid threat.
