Maryland
Maryland announces $238 million in new opioid settlements with Walgreens, Walmart, two drugmakers
Maryland’s top lawyer announced Wednesday afternoon that the state had reached settlements with Walgreens, Walmart and two opioid manufacturers that are expected to add $238 million to its efforts to fight the opioid crisis over the course of 15 years.
The settlements follow multi-year investigations of the roles of the opioid manufacturers and chain pharmacies in fueling Maryland’s opioid crisis, the Office of Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown said in a news release.
Along with forcing the companies to pay out, the settlements also mandate that they “stop engaging in practices that gave rise to the opioid crisis and take steps to prevent further illegal conduct,” the news release said.
There were 2,600 fatal overdoses in Maryland from November 2022 to October 2023, according to state data. Fentanyl – a highly potent form of opioid – was involved in 80% of these deaths.
“The opioid epidemic has claimed thousands of innocent lives through addiction and overdoses, has torn families apart, and has devastated communities across this country,” Brown said in the release. “This settlement money will help support recovery efforts in Maryland and prevent future loss where we need it most.”
All revenue from the settlements will be placed in the Maryland Opioid Restitution Fund and be spent on efforts to ease the crisis, the news release said.
Two years ago, pharmaceutical manufacturer Johnson & Johnson and the country’s three largest pharmaceutical distributors agreed to pay the state and most of its localities about $395 million over the course of 18 years. In exchange, the state absolved the companies of liability for illegally marketing and distributing opioids before the settlements.
One of the opioid manufacturers involved in the latest settlements — Teva, which is based in Israel — marketed and sold extremely dangerous and addictive rapid-onset fentanyl products, according to the news release, which cites documents filed Wednesday morning in Frederick County Circuit Court.
The products — Actiq, a fentanyl lozenge resembling a lollipop, and Fentora, a fentanyl tablet — were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration only to treat extreme pain in patients with advanced cancers that are unlikely to be cured. However, the release said, the company falsely claimed the drugs were safe for non-cancer conditions and funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to at least 16 Maryland prescribers through a “bogus” speaker bureau.
This money, which the complaint describes as “kickbacks,” encouraged prescribers to write prescriptions for Actiq and Fentora for people who did not have cancer and should not have taken the drugs.
A former sales representative who provided sworn testimony to the Attorney General’s Opioids Unit claimed that Teva paid thousands of dollars in speaker fees, meals and drinks to three prescribers from the same Annapolis practice. These prescribers generally treated chronic non-cancer pain.
Under the settlement agreement, Teva will be required to pay restitution to the state for 13 years. The news release estimated that the state will bring in about $70.3 million from that agreement.
The complaint against the second opioid manufacturer, Allergan — now a part of AbbVie, headquartered in Chicago — alleges the company misled prescribers and patients about the relative safety of its extended-release morphine product, Kadian. The attorney general’s office said the company sold the product by deceptively marketing it as an option that was safer than other opioids.
The company also misled prescribers about the nature of addiction, the news release said, claiming that patients who were exhibiting the signs of addiction were not really addicted, but simply required more medicine to relieve their pain.
“These false messages led Maryland prescribers to increase opioids doses to those already suffering from addiction, contributing to the vast overprescription of opioids that fueled the opioids epidemic of addiction and death,” the attorney general’s office said.
Over the course of seven years, Allergan is expected to pay about $38.2 million to the state.
The biggest pay-out announced Wednesday comes from Walgreens, which is expected to pay $74.8 million over the course of 15 years for failing to protect their customers from inappropriate or unsafe prescription drugs.
Pharmacies are required by state and federal law to investigate opioid prescriptions that seem “problematic” before filling them, the attorney general’s office said. However, Walgreens and Walmart — which will pay the state about $55.5 million over the next six years — put inappropriate pressures on pharmacists and other pharmacy employees to fill prescriptions despite warning signs that showed the prescriptions might be unsafe.
This led both retailers to fill opioid prescriptions that were inappropriate and unsafe, “creating or contributing to the addiction and ultimate death of many Marylanders,” the news release said.
According to the news release, Walmart pharmacies filled prescriptions from health care providers at a now-shuttered pain management clinic in Baltimore County for 39 patients who later died from overdoses caused by opioid abuse and addiction. Walgreens pharmacies filled prescriptions for 116 patients from the same clinic who later died from overdoses.
“Walmart and Walgreens, the complaint charges, were aware of issues with the providers, but filled these and other prescriptions anyway, while deceiving the public that they were keeping consumers safe,” the news release said.
The state said the five recently traveled together to “a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak.”
Maryland health officials confirmed five more measles cases, all in Carroll County.
“These individuals recently traveled together to a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak,” the state Department of Health said in a release.
The agency said others may have been exposed on the afternoon of July 13 in the emergency department waiting room at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster.
Another measles case recently prompted warnings from health officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District. On June 17, a Maryland resident traveled through Dulles International Airport and visited a D.C. urgent care clinic.
Measles is highly contagious. It can spread through the air through coughs, breathing, and sneezes. Early symptoms can include fevers of over 101 degrees, coughs, runny noses, watery eyes and face or body rashes.
It can take up to 21 days after exposure for the first symptoms to appear, and those who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles are especially vulnerable.
The five new measles cases in Maryland bring the state’s year-to-date total to nine. The state health department confirmed three cases in 2025, and one in each of the previous two years.
“All Marylanders should review potential exposure times, watch for symptoms, and confirm they are up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations,” the health department said.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
Baltimore may be under an extreme heat alert, but residents can dream about autumn, as tickets are now on sale for the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show returning to the Maryland State Fairgrounds in October.
This three-day celebration of home and garden takes place from Friday, Oct. 16 through Sunday, Oct. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Expect hundreds of exhibitors, local makers, home improvement experts, family-friendly experiences and celebrity guests. The show offers everyone the chance to explore the very latest in home improvement, landscaping, outdoor living and decor, the chance to take part in hands-on experiences, and do some holiday shopping all under one roof.
This year’s show will have more than 300 exhibitors, including more than 100 crafters from around Maryland in the Makers Market. There will be unique exhibits, stage presentations and a special appearance by Chase Morrill, Ashley Morrill-Eldridge and Ryan Eldridge from Magnolia Network’s hit series “Maine Cabin Masters.” The three will have two Main Stage appearances, one on Friday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. and the second on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 12 p.m.
“As temperatures start to drop and the holiday season comes into view, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show is a place to gather ideas, meet local experts and get inspired before the busy season begins,” said Dave Paul, show manager, in a statement. “Whether attendees are planning a home project, looking for outdoor living ideas or getting a head start on holiday shopping, the show brings together resources and experiences for every kind of homeowner, maker and DIY enthusiast.”
In addition to the Makers Market and stars of “Maine Cabin Masters”, the Maryland Fall Home & Garden + Craft Show will have a petting zoo, a Kids Market where attendees can shop from local children, and much more.
Tickets are available online and at the door. Prices are as follows:
Online:
- Adults: $8
- Senior Citizens (60+): $6
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- 4-Pack Online: $30 for four tickets, valid for one admission each and one day only
At the door:
- Adults: $10
- Senior Citizens (60+): $8
- Children (ages 6-12): $4
- Friday & Saturday: $4 after 4 p.m. at the door only
Special Offers:
- Active and retired military personnel, veterans, firefighters and police officers receive free admission all weekend, along with one guest, with valid ID at the box office.
- Attendees who show a CharmPass app, Light RailLink ticket or eligible transit pass at the box office receive free admission any day of the show. One admission is available per pass.
The Maryland State Fairgrounds is located at 2200 York Road in Lutherville-Timonium.
Related
Maryland
Maryland police arrest alleged bank robber wielding stolen cat: ‘Tried to use her as an accessory’
Law enforcement agencies are accustomed to dealing with cat burglars – but now a Maryland police department is saying it grappled with a cat-wielding bank robber.
The Prince George’s county police department said its officers arrested a man suspected of stealing a cat and then taking the animal with him to a PNC bank branch in the local community of Beltsville to rob the establishment on Monday morning.
“The cat was returned” after the suspect was arrested, the police department said in a statement to the Guardian on Tuesday. The agency said no injuries were reported, and it declined to name the suspect or release additional details, saying the case – bound for a spot in the annals of bizarre reported US crimes – remained under investigation.
Nonetheless, a social media post from rescue shelter Beltsville Community Cats provided more information.
A Beltsville Community Cats Facebook page post on Monday identified the cat at the center of the alleged botched caper as Magnolia, a three-and-a-half-month-old tuxedo kitten. The shelter recounted how the suspect first snatched Magnolia from her “adoption habitat” at Beltsville’s Pet Supplies Plus store, took her across the parking lot to a PNC branch, and “tried to use her as an accessory in [an] attempted robbery”.
“He asked the bank manager to hold the kitten while he wrote a note, then handed the note to a teller demanding all the cash,” the post continued. “Thankfully, the robbery was unsuccessful, the suspect was arrested, and Magnolia was found safe and sound in the bank manager’s office, where the two had bonded over their shared ordeal.”
Pet Supplies Plus store employees told the NBC affiliate in nearby Washington DC that Magnolia’s cat napper had come in daily for about two weeks and focused on the kitten each time.
Finally, on Monday, he managed to use a key to open a cat adoption area and whisked Magnolia away, store employees said to the outlet, WRC.
Store manager Aaron Kurkowski told WRC that Magnolia’s thief “came in and saw none of my team was nearby the front – and he just went right to her and ran right on out”.
According to WRC, Stephanie Stullich of Beltsville Community Cats then received a call from a pet store employee who alerted her to Magnolia’s plight.
That prompted Stullich to run over to the store, where she said to WRC that she “immediately saw all of these police cars and … thought, ‘Wow, that’s a heck of a response for a stolen cat’.”
“But then I realized they all were going down to the bank,” Stullich recalled to WRC. “They came back out a few minutes later and said, ‘Yes, there is a cat inside the bank.’”
Two days before her catnapping, Magnolia was the subject of a Beltsville Community Cats Facebook post inviting people to see her at Pet Supplies Plus and consider adopting her.
Magnolia as of Monday was still waiting to be adopted, Beltsville Community Cats said in its post detailing the bank robbery.
The non-profit organization offered members of the public the opportunity to apply to adopt Magnolia by emailing rescue@beltsvillecats.net.
Beltsville Community Cats’ post also joked that Magnolia’s “brief ‘life of crime’ is behind her” – except for undoubtedly “stealing” hearts, treats, toys and cuddles wherever her forever home may be.
-
Detroit, MI21 minutes agoDetroit’s air quality early Thursday ranked as hazardous, worst in the world
-
San Francisco, CA33 minutes ago‘It was a scene from the Titanic’: Fishermen recall rescuing passengers from sinking boat in SF Bay
-
Dallas, TX39 minutes agoBig picture takeaways from the Dallas Mavericks first week at Summer League
-
Miami, FL45 minutes ago“We’re going to be champions”. Argentina fans in Miami Beach celebrate team’s win against England
-
Boston, MA51 minutes ago4 Red Sox Trade Targets to Solidify Boston’s Push for a Playoff Spot
-
Denver, CO57 minutes agoRTD considers ending Denver’s 16th Street FreeRide shuttle due to budget issues
-
Seattle, WA1 hour agoTrump immediately fires the new court-appointed top prosecutor in Seattle | CNN Politics
-
San Diego, CA1 hour agoKarepango San Diego Comic-Con 2026 Debuts, Merchandise
