Posted November 15, 2022 03:47pm
(MSC News)--Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt Tuesday announced that his office has secured at least $15 million for Kansas as part of a settlement with Walmart to resolve allegations that the company contributed to the opioid addiction crisis by failing to appropriately oversee the dispensing of opioids at its stores.
As details are finalized, the Kansas share is likely to increase, perhaps substantially.
Schmidt said the settlement will provide more than $3 billion nationally and will require significant improvements in how Walmart- pharmacies handle opioids. The proceeds from the settlement must be used to provide treatment and recovery services for people struggling with opioid use disorder, while Walmart must provide broad, court-ordered requirements to its pharmacy practices, including robust oversight to prevent fraudulent prescriptions and flag suspicious prescriptions.
The settlement requires acceptance from the 43 participating states by the end of 2022, allowing for certain additional parties to join during the first quarter of 2023. With this settlement, Schmidt- office has now recovered more than $200 million related to unlawful opioid manufacturing, marketing and distribution. Additional national settlements have been reached with CVS Pharmacy for $5 billion and Walgreens Pharmacy for $3 billion. Terms for the state shares of the CVS and Walgreens settlements have not been finalized.