The City of Baltimore has made a decisive move in its efforts to combat the opioid crisis by securing an $80 million settlement with Walgreens, a figure among the series of agreements with pharmaceutical giants. Mayor Brandon M. Scott confirmed that the settlement would be dedicated entirely to opioid remediation efforts across the city.
As part of the settlement, Walgreens agreed to initially disburse $45 million by the end of the current year, with the balance to be paid by December 31, 2025. This funding aims to support the ongoing fight against the opioid epidemic robustly. According to the City of Baltimore Mayor's office, multiple organizations are set to benefit, including the Maryland Peer Advisory Council and We Our Us, each allocated $2 million and $1 million, respectively.
The details of the fund allocation reveal a strategic spread of resources: $15 million earmarked for comprehensive outreach services available 24/7, $5 million designated for educating and reaching out to those in need through 988 services, and $10 million committed to the Baltimore Comprehensive Overdose Response to End the Epidemic (BCORE) initiative. Moreover, the settlement funds will be allocated according to the guidelines outlined in Mayor Scott's executive order from August 2024.
This settlement is part of a larger mission to hold accountable the corporations complicit in propelling the opioid epidemic to its current state. The city previously reached settlements with Allergan and CVS for $45 million each, Teva for $80 million, and Cardinal Health for an impactful $152.5 million. According to the mayor's release, these recoveries total $402.5 million. Another settlement with Johnson & Johnson has yet to publicly disclose its terms, while the court battles are to continuously proceed against remaining defendants, McKesson and AmerisourceBergen, in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City.
The ongoing lawsuit and subsequent settlements stem from the case "Mayor & City Council of Baltimore v. Purdue Pharma L.P., et al.," 24-C-18-000515, cited in court documents from the Circuit Court of Maryland for Baltimore City.
