Two US counties accused CVS, Walgreen and Walmart-operated pharmacies of failing to stop the flood of pills that caused hundreds of overdoses.
(Photo: AP)
Cleveland A US federal court has found three pharmacy chains to be complicit in the opioid crisis and its consequences in the US state of Ohio. The pharmacies had ruthlessly distributed large quantities of painkillers, the jury said on Tuesday. The ruling could point the way for cities and towns in the US to hold pharmacies accountable for their role in the opioid crisis.
Two counties accused CVS, Walgreen and Walmart-operated pharmacies of failing to stop the flood of pills that caused hundreds of overdoses and cost each of the counties about a billion dollars, their attorney said. Lake and Trumbull counties were able to convince the jury that the pharmacies were causing harm to the public by the way they dispensed pain medication in their communities.
A federal judge will decide in the spring how much compensation the pharmacies will have to pay. CVS, Walgreen and Walmart spokesmen said the companies did not agree with the ruling. and would appeal.
A county attorney, Mark Lanier, said the law requires pharmacies to be careful when dealing in drugs. “This case should be a wake-up call that an omission will not be accepted.”
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Lawyers for the three pharmacy chains said in court that they had taken action to stem the flow of pills when their pharmacists had concerns and informed authorities of suspicious orders from doctors. In addition, it was the doctors who checked how many pills had been prescribed for legitimate medical needs. Two other chains – Rite Aid and Giant Eagle – settled legal disputes with the two Ohio counties out of court.
In Trumbull County alone, around 80 million prescription pain relievers were dispensed between 2012 and 2016 – that’s 400 per inhabitant. About 61 million tablets were issued in Lake County during that period.
Opioids are partly synthetically produced drugs with, among other things, pain-relieving properties. However, they also harbor an enormous risk of dependency and a high potential for abuse. The opioid epidemic in the United States has resulted in nearly half a million deaths in the past two decades, according to the CDC. Most US lawsuits are directed against manufacturers and wholesalers of pain relievers, but the operators of large pharmacy chains are now also under considerable legal pressure.
More: Opioid epidemic: Oxycontin manufacturer Sackler family has to pay billions