CVS and Walgreens agree to $10 billion in tentative deals on opioid cases. Walmart will also reportedly settle

Three major retailers have tentatively reached an agreement to resolve thousands of state and local government lawsuits involving opioid painkillers.

CVS Health Corp, Walgreens Boots Alliance and Walmart agreed to pay about $13.8 billion to resolve those suits, according to two people familiar with the negotiations.

The proposed settlement breaks down this way: CVS to pay $5 billion over 10 years, Walgreens to pay $5.7 billion over 15 years and Walmart to pay $3.1 billion, mostly up front, the sources say. 

CVS, Walmart and Walgreens declined to comment. A spokesperson for the plaintiffs' attorneys in the litigation did not immediately respond to Reuters for comment.

It would be the first nationwide deal with retail pharmacy companies, following nationwide opioid settlements with drugmakers and distributors totaling more than $33 billion.

State and local governments accused drugmakers of downplaying the risks of their opioid pain medicines, and distributors and pharmacies of ignoring red flags that prescriptions were being diverted into illegal trafficking.