Alabama to receive almost $249 million to fight the opioid crisis

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced Friday the final approval of $17.3 billion in opioid settlement agreements with drug makers Teva and Allergan and pharmacies CVS and Walgreens.

Following successful state sign-on and subdivision sign-on periods, the companies and pharmacies have committed to the deal and will start releasing funds to a national administrator later this summer. The money is expected to start flowing to state and local governments by the end of 2023.

Alabama will receive $248,948,247. National investigations and litigation against the pharmaceutical industry over the opioid crisis have led to more than $50 billion.

“The opioid crisis is a blight on our society and has had costly effects on our communities,” said Attorney General Marshall. “My office will never stop holding those responsible companies accountable for the irreparable harm to our state.”

CVS and Walgreens have agreed to injunctive relief that requires the pharmacies to monitor, report, and share data about suspicious activity related to opioid prescriptions. This court-ordered injunctive relief will help ensure a crisis like this does not happen again.

The settlements will also require Teva’s opioid business to provide stringent injunctive relief that, among other things, will prevent all opioid marketing and ensure systems are in place to prevent drug misuse. Additionally, Allergan is required to stop selling opioids for the next 10 years.

The negotiations between the drug makers and pharmacies were led by Attorneys General from states across the country.

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