SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Two opioid manufacturers have agreed to pay San Francisco $54 million to settle a lawsuit regarding the drug industry's hand in overdose and addiction rates in the city.
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San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu announced on Tuesday that Allergan and Teva will pay San Francisco $34 million in cash and provide the city with another $20 million worth of Narcan — an overdose reversal drug.
The settlement stems from ongoing litigation brought on by San Francisco against the drug industry, alleging that opioid makers fueled an overdose and addiction surge that created a public nuisance.
From 2006 to 2014, San Francisco County saw 163,645,704 opioids distributed, enough for 22 pills per person per year, the City Attorney's office reported. Between 2015 and 2020, San Francisco saw a 478% increase in opioid-related overdose deaths, and in a typical day at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital Emergency Department, approximately 25% of visits are opioid-related.
"Opioids have wreaked havoc across our nation, and cities like San Francisco have shouldered the burden of the epidemic," Chiu said. "Under this agreement, our City will receive significant resources to combat the opioid crisis and bring relief to our communities."
Throughout the litigation, $120 million in cash payments and other benefits have been secured from the opioid industry, all of which will go towards lowering opioid usage in San Francisco and overdose prevention.
Following the agreement, Allergan and Teva will be severed from the trial, leaving Walgreens as the final defendant.
"The lawsuit alleges that the remaining defendant, Walgreens, over-dispensed opioids without proper due diligence and failed to identify, divert and report suspicious orders as required by law," Chiu's office said.
Closing arguments in the trial began on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.
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