Baltimore settles with Teva, Walgreens prior to scheduled opioid trial
The city of Baltimore settled with Walgreens over claims that the pharmacy retailer fueled opioid addiction in the state of Maryland. This is the latest in a series of settlements totaling $402.5 million, per a Reuters report.
The announcement followed news that the Maryland city reached an $80 million settlement over opioids with Teva. Baltimore did not disclose the terms of its settlement with Walgreens, but the cumulative settlement amount implies that it also was $80 million, per the report.
"We are proud of our efforts to bring these companies to justice over the past several years," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement.
[Read more: Teva to pay New York State $523M over alleged role in opioid crisis]
"Although Walgreens strongly disputes any liability, this settlement is in the best interests of all of our stakeholders," Walgreens said in a statement.
The Reuters report also noted that the remaining defendants scheduled to face trial are Johnson & Johnson and distributors McKesson and Cencora.
"We will challenge the city's claims—which have no basis in the facts or the law," J&J said in a statement, adding that it "did everything a responsible manufacturer of these important prescription pain medicines should do," per the report, which also noted that earlier in 2024,