Attorney General Griffin and 30-state coalition announce opioid settlement with Kroger

Griffin: ‘I am grateful to the bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general who worked together on behalf of their citizens to hold Kroger accountable’

LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin today issued the following statement announcing that Arkansas will receive up to $13,535,086.30 as its share of a $1.37 billion settlement with Arkansas, 29 other states, and Kroger over its role in the opioid crisis:

“Opioid addiction continues to be a scourge in Arkansas and our nation. I am pleased with this settlement as the funds will go to opioid abatement. I am grateful to the bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general who worked together on behalf of their citizens to hold Kroger accountable.”

Arkansas’s share will be paid over 11 payments through 2034. Kroger has agreed to injunctive relief that requires its pharmacies to monitor, report, and share data about suspicious activity related to opioid prescriptions.

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Between 2006 and 2014, Arkansas was flooded with almost 1.5 billion units of addictive opioids. By 2016, Arkansas had the second-highest opioid prescription rate in the nation, with 114.6 opioids being dispersed for every 100 Arkansans.

In November 2023, Griffin announced a grant of $50 million of the state’s opioid settlement funds to help establish the National Center for Opioid Research & Clinical Effectiveness (NCOR) at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

To read the settlement, click here.

UAMS, NIH Study Finds Consoling, Other Techniques Better Than Drug Therapies for Newborns with Opioid Withdrawal

By David Robinson

LITTLE ROCK — A groundbreaking nationwide clinical trial in which the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) played a key role has confirmed an effective way to wean newborns from opioid withdrawal symptoms that substantially reduces hospital stays and the traditional use of drug therapies.

Using an “Eat, Sleep, Console” (ESC) care approach resulted in infants with neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) being medically ready for discharge in nearly half the time and less likely to receive drug therapy compared to those receiving more traditional care, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study. The ESC care approach focuses on supporting infants and caregivers in the essential functions of early infant life: eating, sleeping and consoling fussy infants.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was the first large-scale effort to compare the two approaches to opioid withdrawal used by hospital nurseries. Symptoms of withdrawal include tremors, excessive crying and irritability, and problems with sleeping and feeding. At least one newborn in the United States is diagnosed every 18 minutes with NOWS.

https://news.uams.edu/2023/05/01/uams-nih-study-finds-consoling-other-techniques-better-than-drug-therapies-for-newborns-with-opioid-withdrawal/

UAMS’ Jessica Snowden, M.D., said the study’s findings provide the first strong evidence needed to help end hospitals’ widely varying treatments of Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome.

Walmart to pay $3.1 billion to settle opioid litigation

KUAR | By Kim Souza / Talk Business & Politics

Walmart has reached a settlement in litigation relating to the national opioid epidemic totaling $3.1 billion. The settlement will effectively resolve all opioid lawsuits by state, local and tribal governments, according to the retailer.

The hefty settlement dinged Walmart’s earnings per share by $1.11 in the third quarter, helping to drive a net loss of 66 cents per share for the retail giant. The deal also comes on the heels of settlements reached by competitors Walgreens and CVS last week totaling $10 billion.

“Walmart believes the settlement framework is in the best interest of all parties and will provide significant aid to communities across the country in the fight against the opioid crisis, with aid reaching state and local governments faster than any other nationwide opioid settlement to date, subject to satisfying all settlement requirements,” the company noted in the release.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2022-11-16/walmart-to-pay-3-1-billion-to-settle-opioid-litigation

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The Arkansas-based company is the latest retailer to agree to a settlement over the dispensing of addictive opioid medications. Walmart had previously vowed to fight the litigation.

Netflix’s ‘Bandersnatch’ Inspires UAMS Researchers’ Opioid Misuse Game for Adolescents

By Seth Hooker

LITTLE ROCK — Alison Oliveto, Ph.D., and Ronald Thompson Jr., Ph.D., know that kids love video games. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) researchers also know that kids don’t love out-of-touch literature about the dangers of drugs. So, they decided to present the repercussions of prescription drug misuse in an interactive video game format.

Oliveto, Thompson and their team recently published a paper in the Games for Health Journal about the initial promise of their game-based opioid misuse prevention intervention: SafeUse.

https://news.uams.edu/2022/05/11/netflixs-bandersnatch-inspires-uams-researchers-opioid-misuse-game-for-adolescents/

Ronald Thompson Jr., Ph.D., presents a poster on the study of a game app that aims to prevent prescription opioid misuse among adolescents. Image by Mark Mathews

AG Rutledge Announces $216 Million Allocation of Opioid Settlement Money with Cities, Counties

by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced Thursday (Oct. 7) that Arkansas’ allocation of a $216 million opioid settlement will be split evenly between cities, counties and the state.

A signed Arkansas Opioids Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) clarifies the settlement being paid by opioid manufacturers and distributors.

“By bringing the cities, counties and state together, all Arkansas communities will have access to funds for the prevention, education, and treatment of opioid use,” said Rutledge. “Far too many Arkansans have felt the impact of the opioid epidemic. Our MOU will help save lives through education and treatment of those battling addiction across Arkansas.”

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/10/ag-rutledge-announces-216-million-allocation-of-opioid-settlement-money-with-cities-counties/

Arkansas to Receive $216 Million of $26 Billion Settlement Reached in Opioid Crisis

by George Jared (gjared@talkbusiness.net)

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced Friday (July 23) a $26 billion agreement with pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors of opioids.

The agreement includes Cardinal, McKesson, and AmerisourceBergen – the nation’s three major pharmaceutical distributors – and Johnson & Johnson, which manufactures and markets opioids. The settlement requires significant industry changes that will help prevent an opioid crisis from happening again, she said. The agreement would resolve investigations and litigation over the companies’ roles in creating and fueling the opioid epidemic.

Drug overdoses, fueled by opioids, has been the second leading cause of accidental deaths in Arkansas in the last decade. In the last three years, opioid deaths have been declining, but they are still high on a per capita basis.

https://talkbusiness.net/2021/07/arkansas-to-receive-216-million-of-26-billion-settlement-reached-in-opioid-crisis/

Attorney General Rutledge Sues Walgreens, Says Company Helped Fuel Opioid Epidemic

By STEVE BRAWNER / TALK BUSINESS & POLITICS

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge filed suit Monday against Walgreens under the state's Deceptive Trade Practices Act, saying the drug retailer failed to report and prevent suspicious opioid purchases as it was required to do under the law.

The complaint says the drug retailer failed to institute controls to prevent the diversion of drugs into the black market. Walgreens filled more than 142,090,680 dosage units of oxycodone and hydrocodone in Arkansas from 2006 to 2014. Nine of the company’s pharmacies were among the top 20 recipients of prescription opioids in the state.

“Walgreens helped fuel the opioid crisis by selling, distributing and dispensing far greater quantities of prescription opioids than [were] necessary for legitimate medical use,” Rutledge said in her press conference.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/post/attorney-general-rutledge-sues-walgreens-says-company-helped-fuel-opioid-epidemic

Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge at a press conference on March 26, 2018 making a different opiod-related announcement.

CREDIT MICHAEL HIBBLEN / KUAR NEWS

U.S. Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Walmart for Unlawful Prescriptions Adding to the National Opioid Crisis

by Kim Souza

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Bentonville-based Walmart on Tuesday, (Dec. 22) claiming the retail giant and its pharmacists did not properly screen opioid prescriptions, and the lack of oversight contributed to the ongoing U.S. controlled substance crisis.

The complaint alleges that this unlawful conduct resulted in hundreds of thousands of violations of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The Justice Department seeks civil penalties, which could total in the billions of dollars, and injunctive relief, according to the release. The federal government is seeking billions in dollars in civil penalties which could be more than $67,000 per for each unlawful prescription.

https://talkbusiness.net/2020/12/doj-files-lawsuit-alleging-walmart-contributed-to-national-opioid-crisis/

Walmart Files Suit Against DOJ, DEA Over Opioid Meds

Walmart filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Thursday (Oct. 22), asking for clarity to pharmacists’ requirements when filling prescriptions containing opioids. The company filed the 54-page complaint in the Eastern District of Texas the Sherman Division.

In 2019, the DEA began to crack down on pharmacists and physicians looking to curb the massive use of the potent drugs and the highly addictive nature of opioids used to manage pain. The complaint claims the government’s recent actions attempt to make up for years of “profound failures” to limit the number of opioid drugs being produced and sold on the market and stop “bad actors” from prescribing them without cause. The suit claims the DEA was given years of reports naming suspicious activity from doctors across the nation who manage to have their licenses still because the regulatory continued to renew them.

https://talkbusiness.net/2020/10/walmart-files-suit-against-doj-dea-over-opioid-meds/

Walmart files suit against DOJ, DEA over opioid meds - Talk Business & Politics

Walmart filed a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Thursday (Oct. 22), asking for clarity to pharmacists' requirements when filling prescriptions containing opioids. The company filed the 54-page complaint in the Eastern District of Texas the Sherman Division.