In a landmark settlement, pharmaceutical companies will pay the state of Florida over $870 million combined. CVS Health Corp. and CVS Pharmacy Inc. will pay the state $484 million, while Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. will pay $195 million, Allergan PLC over $134 million, and Endo Health Solutions $65 million.
Teva will also provide an additional $84 million worth of its Narcan nasal spray, which is used to treat overdose victims. Narcan, a naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray, is a “life-saving medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids, including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications”, as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Israeli pharmaceutical giant, Teva, was the first company to announce the generic version of the nasal spray to treat opioid emergencies while being accused of being complicit in the United States opioid crisis. A previous settlement was reached between Teva and the attorney general of Louisiana in September 2021, whereby Teva paid $15 million and provided an additional donation of $3 million for opioid addiction and recovery medications.
“The monies secured from CVS, Teva, Allergan, and Endo will help further our efforts to remediate the harm and suffering of Floridians.” Attorney General Ashley Moody said in a March 2022 press release.
The Opioid Crisis
Drug overdose deaths have reached over 100,000 annually, according to a report by the CDC. The report highlights overdose deaths from synthetic opioids (primarily fentanyl), psychostimulants like methamphetamines, and cocaine. Over the past twenty years, 500,000 opioid-related deaths were reported in the United States. These deaths include those related to prescription painkillers such as OxyContin and generic oxycodone, as well as illicit drugs.
In 2018, opioid-related deaths accounted for nearly 70% of all overdose deaths in Florida, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Over half of all Florida residents were given an opioid prescription at the time of the report. Florida providers wrote 53.7 prescriptions for every 100 persons. The national average is 51.4 for every 100 persons.
Call A Dangerous Drug Attorney
Misuse of opioids affects more than two million Americans each year, many of which develop opioid use disorder. Individuals find themselves amid an opioid use disorder when the medication is wrongly prescribed, the appropriate dosage is not followed, or an illicit version of the drug is consumed. In terms of personal injury law, the first of these falls into the legal category of medical malpractice, while the product or drug itself may also be at fault under the legal term of product liability.
Medical malpractice requires an attorney to prove that accepted standards of care were violated and that those violations led to injury or death. Dangerous drugs fall under the legal category of product liability. A drug is found to be dangerous when there is a mistake in the manufacturing process, a flaw in its design, or if patients were not warned about the drug’s side effects or possible addictive qualities.
If you or a loved one has been seriously harmed or died from a prescription drug overdose, you should immediately call a dangerous drug attorney. The lawyers of Panter, Panter, and Sampedro have the experience and resources to help you recover what you deserve. For a free case review call (305) 662-6178.
Sources:
http://www.myfloridalegal.com/newsrel.nsf/newsreleases/F62E6B1CC09FAB71852588150044BDCF
https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/naloxone/index.html
https://miami.cbslocal.com/2022/03/30/cvs-others-to-pay-florida-860m-to-settle-opioid-case/
https://panterlaw.com/2021/12/07/opioids-overdose-deaths/
https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/opioid-addiction/
https://panterlaw.com/medical-malpractice-neglect-abuse/
