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By way of Dietrich Knauth
(Reuters) – A jury trial accusing Walgreens Boots Alliance of contributing to Florida’s opioid habit epidemic used to be set to start on Monday after the drugstore chain opted no longer to sign up for a multimillion-dollar agreement by way of different defendants.
The state accuses Walgreens of deficient oversight in its dishing out and distributing opioids in Florida, permitting the medicine to be diverted to unlawful use and inflicting an build up in habit. Walgreens has denied the allegations.
Jury variety started on April 5, with opening statements by way of legal professionals set for Monday ahead of Pass judgement on Kimberly Sharpe Byrd in Pasco County Circuit Court docket.
The drugstore chain has argued it must be immune from the present litigation in accordance with a trifling $3,000 agreement reached with Florida in 2012 following an investigation into its record-keeping insurance policies and efforts to stop the diversion of opioid medication.
Below the previously-announced settlements by way of Walgreens’ prior co-defenants within the Florida trial, pharmacy chain rival CVS Well being Corp pays $484 million. As well as, drugmakers Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd agreed to pays $194.8 million, Abbvie Inc’s Allergan unit pays $134.2 million and Endo World Plc $65 million. [L2N2VX2DY]
Walgreens argued that the 2012 deal launched it from long run opioid claims within the state, although Florida regretted the ones phrases as a “dangerous cut price,” in step with courtroom transcripts.
Florida in the similar courtroom transcript known as the Walgreens’ place “absurd,” announcing the sooner deal addressed just a unmarried record-keeping violation. The settlements from the opposite earlier defendants within the litigation totaled $878 million.
Florida has accrued greater than $3 billion in opioid litigation towards drugmakers, vendors and pharmacies, in step with lawyer common Ashley Moody. Lots of the cash will likely be spent on efforts to mitigate the opioid disaster within the state.
There was a wave of new settlements by way of firms going through allegations over their phase within the opioid disaster, which has ended in greater than 500,000 U.S. deaths from overdoses up to now 20 years, in step with the Facilities for Illness Keep an eye on and Prevention. Greater than 3,300 court cases had been filed towards drugmakers, vendors and pharmacies over the disaster.
(Reporting by way of Dietrich Knauth; Enhancing by way of Invoice Berkrot)
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