In response to Walgreens’ involvement in the peculiar opioid crisis facing the city, San Francisco and the business struck a $230 million settlement. Despite years of ongoing, nationwide litigation connected to opioids, the payout is the largest ever made to local government, according to San Francisco’s city attorney. The agreement was reached nine months after a federal judge found that the company’s mistakes had a “substantial” role in a crisis that had “catastrophic” effects on the city, overtaxing hospitals, and razing entire districts. US District Judge Charles Breyer also reprimanded Walgreens for its “15-year failure” to fully review opioid prescriptions and forewarn customers about potential abuse of the highly addictive medications.
Breyer ruled that Walgreens had a profit-driven “fill, fill, fill” culture in administering strong opioids
Breyer ruled that Walgreens had a profit-driven “fill, fill, fill” culture in administering strong opioids such as fentanyl, oxycontin, and oxycodone in his judgment on August 10, 2022, as reported by the Guardian. “This decision gives voice to the thousands of lives lost to the opioid epidemic,” David Chiu, San Francisco’s city attorney, said in a statement that the Guardian reported. “This crisis did not come out of nowhere. It was created by the opioid industry, and local jurisdictions like San Francisco have had to shoulder the burden for far too long,” he added.
The agreement made by Walgreens avoids a trial to determine damages. In a statement, Walgreens stated that while it “disputes liability” and does not accept responsibility, reaching a settlement will enable it to concentrate on patients, clients, and communities. (agentrealestateschools.com) “Our thoughts are with those impacted by this tragic crisis,” it continued. The Deerfield, Illinois-based company was the only defendant in San Francisco’s civil complaint after other drugmakers and distributors reached settlements totaling more than $120 million.
Breyer found that between 2006 and 2020, Walgreens’ San Francisco pharmacies received more than 1.2 million opioid prescriptions with “red flags,” but only examined less than 5% of them before dispensing them. By January, the city had recorded 82 deaths, increasing the city’s overdose fatality rate to an all-time high. The increase in deaths started in December. This increase happened soon after the city shut down a vital outreach facility where people were taking drugs under medical supervision and ramped up enforcement in the Tenderloin section of San Francisco, which has historically lacked resources.
