West Virginia AG Announces $30 Million Settlement with Rite Aid After Allegations of Contributing to Opioid Crisis

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey announced a settlement Thursday with the pharmacy chain Rite Aid that could provide up to $30 million dollars for recovery efforts in the state. The lawsuit alleged that Rite Aid contributed to the state’s opioid crisis by oversupplying addictive pills.

The West Virginia First Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, is an agreement by counties and cities on how to spend funds received from opioid settlements. Following the MOU, the settlement funds from Rite Aid go to state and local programs for the reduction of opioid addiction.

In May, Teva and Allergan settled for $161.5 million; in April, drug manufacturers Johnson & Johnson settled for $99 million; and in March, Endo Health Solutions settled for $26 million.

Read the source article at West Virginia Public Broadcasting