CVS, Walgreens To Pay PA Nearly $450 Million In Opioid Settlement

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania will receive nearly $450 million from CVS and Walgreens resulting from litigation against the pharmaceutical industry for its actions in the opioid crisis.

Under the agreements with the chains, announced by state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the state will receive about $217 million over the next 10 years from CVS and about $236 million over the next 15 years from Walgreens.

In addition to the financial settlement, CVS and Walgreens, along with Walmart, will monitor, report, and share information about suspicious activity related to opioid prescriptions.

In 2021, there were 5,343 overdose deaths in the state, according to the Pennsylvania Office of Drug Surveillance and Misuse Prevention; 84.7 percents of those deaths were opioid-related.

“No amount of money will bring back the lives we lost, but today’s agreement with CVS and Walgreens will help to ensure Pennsylvanians suffering from opioid addiction get the treatment and recovery resources they need,” said Shapiro, who also is the state's governor-elect.

The agreement resulted from a multi-state investigation into manufacturers, distributors and
pharmacies for their roles in the opioid epidemic. The probe has led to $54.1 billion in settlement agreements with opioid manufacturers and distributors.