By Brendan Pierson
(Reuters) -Walmart Inc has agreed to pay $215 million to resolve claims its pharmacies fueled an epidemic of opioid addiction in Florida, the state’s attorney general announced on Thursday.
As part of the deal, Walmart has also agreed to dispense 672,000 treatment kits with the anti-overdose drug naloxone to first responders in the state.
“I’m grateful for Walmart stepping up and agreeing to partner with the state to provide law enforcement and first responders with much-needed Naloxone,” Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a statement. “This will greatly help in our continuing mission to end the opioid crisis and save lives.”
The settlement comes on top of previous deals the state struck with pharmacy operators Walgreens Boots Alliance and CVS Health Corp, drugmakers Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd and AbbVie Inc , and others.
The state has secured a total of $3.2 billion through legal action to help fight the opioid crisis, according to Moody’s office.
“This partnership is the latest chapter in Walmart’s commitment to fight the opioid crisis,” Walmart spokesperson Randy Hargrove said in a statement.
The company did not admit any wrongdoing.
(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Mark Porter and Deepa Babington)
