For Immediate Release:
December 20, 2022
Contact: Jerri Mares — (505) 321-4372
SANTA FE – Today, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that his office has resolved its opioid litigation against retail pharmacy chain operators Walmart, CVS, and Albertsons in a statewide deal that will deliver more than $132 million to the State and to local communities to fund opioid abatement efforts within the next 90 days.
“I’m incredibly proud of the extraordinary work of my team in securing this historic settlement, and it is imperative that these funds are invested in treatment services to begin the healing in our communities,” said Attorney General Balderas.
When combined with previously-announced settlements obtained from other manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, Balderas’s office has obtained more than $368 million in opioid abatement funding for the State and its communities in the past year. Like other opioid settlements negotiated by Balderas’s Consumer & Environmental Protection Division, the settlement divides funds between State and local governments and requires all funds be spent on efforts to address the opioid crisis statewide. The NM Office of the Attorney General will coordinate a statewide effort to get local governments signed up to participate in these deals over the next three months.
Attorney General Balderas recently wrapped up a two-month-long trial against pharmacy giant Walgreens in October, and a decision is expected from the court in that case in the coming weeks. Drug manufacturers Teva and Allergan, along with drug distributor Anda, are currently scheduled for trial in the State’s opioid litigation in March 2023.
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