(The Center Square) — Georgia officials expect the state will receive more than $181 million after joining national settlements with four companies over allegations they contributed to the opioid crisis.
The Peach State will use the money from Allergan, CVS, Teva and Walgreens to help fund treatment, prevention, reduction and recovery initiatives.
CVS and Walgreens were not defendants in Georgia’s ongoing litigation against opioid distributors, though Teva and Allergan were named in the state’s action targeting opioid manufacturers. According to Georgia officials, CVS and Walgreens proactively approached the state with settlement offers.
Walgreens will make a $58.7 million base payment to the state, CVS will pay $50.1 million, Teva will hand over $44.9 million, and Allergan will pay $27.4 million.
“No Georgia community is a stranger to the devastating effects of the opioid crisis, and we must do all we can to support those who are struggling,” Attorney General Chris Carr said in an announcement.
“Today’s announcement is another step forward in our ongoing efforts to combat this epidemic and address the widespread damage [it has] caused,” Carr added. “Our top priority is to protect our fellow Georgians, and joining these settlements will ensure that our state receives much-needed resources to help expand critical treatment and recovery services.”
CVS will pay $5 billion nationally, while Walgreens will hand over $5.7 billion. Teva will pay more than $4.25 billion nationally, while Allergan will distribute more than $2.3 billion.
Georgia joined the settlements with Teva and Allergan on Dec. 19 and the settlements with CVS and Walgreens on Dec. 21. Local governments have 90 days from when the state joined the settlements to join.
Last month, officials said the state should see $28 million after agreeing to join a $3.1 billion national settlement with Walmart over allegations that the national retailer did not “appropriately oversee” how it dispensed opioids.
By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor
