DORAL, FLORIDA — Today, Attorney General Ashley Moody announced historic litigation and settlements with Big Pharma totaling more than $3.2 Billion. A statewide settlement agreement with Walmart has also been signed and the big box giant will dispense naloxone to first responders across Florida.
Moody has worked for years on litigation and negotiations to hold major opioid distributors, manufacturers, and pharmaceutical companies accountable for their role in fueling the opioid crisis.
BILLIONS SECURED
After four weeks in trial, Moody recovered $680 million from Walgreens. Moody also obtained more than $870 million from CVS Health Corporation, CVS Pharmacy, Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd., and Allergan PLC. The proceeds must be used on opioid abatement, including prevention efforts, treatment, or recovery services.
Earlier this year, Moody secured a multibillion-dollar nationwide settlement with McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health, Inc., AmerisourceBergen Corp., and Johnson & Johnson, Inc. The state of Florida will receive more than $1.6 billion, which must be used for remediation. All three pharmaceutical companies must establish a centralized independent clearinghouse to provide state regulators with aggregated data and analytics about where drugs are going. Additionally, the court has ordered Johnson & Johnson, Inc. to stop selling opioids for 10 years.
MCKINSEY CONTRIBUTED TO CRISIS
A settlement was also reached with McKinsey & Company for $40 million. According to court documents, McKinsey contributed to the opioid crisis by promoting marketing schemes and consulting services to opioid manufacturers, including OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, for more than a decade. Under the agreement, McKinsey must adopt a strict document retention plan and continue an investigation into allegations that two of its partners tried to destroy documents in response to investigations of Purdue Pharma.
In total, through Attorney General Moody’s actions, the state has secured more than $3.2 billion for remediation. Most of the funds secured from the 12 defendants in the state’s historic litigation will go to cities and counties across the state to fund local efforts.
AGREEMENT WITH WALMART
A statewide settlement agreement with Walmart was also announced today. Walmart has agreed to partner with the state in dispensing naloxone to law enforcement and first responders across Florida as part of their settlement.
Walmart will dispense 672,000 naloxone kits to law enforcement and first responders across the state. In addition, Walmart will pay $215 million to the state of Florida to help fight the opioid crisis.
“From the beginning of my administration, I have been working to end the opioid crisis and help Florida communities recover. I’m grateful for Walmart stepping up and agreeing to partner with the state to provide law enforcement and first responders with much-needed naloxone. This will greatly help in our continuing mission to end the opioid crisis and save lives,” said Attorney General Moody.
For more information and resources on Florida’s fight against opioid abuse, visit DoseOfRealityFL.com
