Baltimore Settles Opioid Lawsuits with Teva and Walgreens
Baltimore has secured $80 million settlements from both Teva Pharmaceuticals and Walgreens in its ongoing fight against the opioid crisis. The city is preparing for trial against remaining defendants next week.
| Score | Value |
|---|---|
Scale | 8 |
Novelty | 4 |
Positivity | 6 |
Reliability | 8 |
Actionability | 3 |
Society | 8 |
Journalism | 5 |
Highlights
- Baltimore has settled with Walgreens for $80 million over opioid-related claims.
- The city also reached an $80 million settlement with Teva Pharmaceuticals, bringing the total settlements to $402.5 million.
- Baltimore's lawsuit against remaining defendants, including Johnson & Johnson and McKesson, is set to go to trial next week.
- The city opted out of previous global settlements to pursue its own lawsuits, resulting in higher payouts.
- Over 800,000 people in the U.S. died from opioid overdoses from 1999 to 2023.
Perspectives
- Baltimore's decision to pursue independent lawsuits against opioid manufacturers and distributors has resulted in significantly higher settlements compared to what it would have received through national agreements, validating the city's approach to hold these companies accountable. [13][15][17]
- While the city has established guidelines for spending the settlement funds, there are concerns regarding the transparency of how community organizations are selected to receive allocations, as some decisions have been made in secret. [13]