Pharmakrise: Walmart legt Opioid-Klage der US-Regierung bei
Bereits 2022 hatte sich Walmart zur Zahlung von 3,1 Milliarden Dollar bereiterklärt, um Tausende von Klagen von Bundesstaaten und Kommunen beizulegen.
New York and Washington - The US retail giant Walmart has reached a settlement with the US government in a case related to the opioid crisis, agreeing to pay $50 million, according to the Department of Justice. The DOJ had accused the largest retailer in the country of fueling the nationwide opioid epidemic through unlawful prescription dispensing in its pharmacies.
The amount is a fraction of the billion-dollar civil penalties the DOJ had threatened at the beginning of the lawsuit in December 2020. Walmart admitted no liability and described the settlement amount in a routine statement as "trivial."
Walmart had already agreed to pay $3.1 billion in 2022 to settle thousands of lawsuits brought by state and local governments. Competitors CVS and Walgreens had reached similar but higher settlements. A federal judge had already curtailed the lawsuit against Walmart in March 2024, dismissing some government claims. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 905,000 people died in the US from opioid overdoses between 1999 and 2025. In a statement, Walmart said it was glad to "wrap up this matter."
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