CVS, Walgreens and Walmart ordered to pay $650 million for fueling opioid crisis : NPR

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

A federal choose has ordered the nation’s largest pharmacy chains to pay $650 million to 2 counties in Ohio hit arduous by the opioid epidemic. The cash might be paid by CVS, Walgreens and Walmart over the following 15 years. It will assist Lake and Trumbull counties get better from an habit disaster that continues to devastate communities close to Cleveland. NPR’s Brian Mann is following the case. Hey there, Brian.

BRIAN MANN, BYLINE: Hey, Mary Louise.

KELLY: OK. So these three chains – CVS, Walgreens, Walmart – they’ve at all times denied any wrongdoing. How did we get right here?

MANN: Yeah, that is proper. These corporations have at all times maintained they have been simply filling authorized prescriptions written by licensed docs. However they have been accused of recklessly shelling out actually extraordinary quantities of tablets, greater than made any medical sense. Over one five-year interval, pharmacies allotted greater than 140 million ache tablets in simply these two Ohio counties.

So late final yr, a jury discovered that the pharmacy chains’ habits was so egregious it helped create what’s often known as a public nuisance in authorized phrases, fueling the opioid disaster. What occurred right this moment is that Federal Choose Dan Polster put a price ticket on that verdict. He ordered these corporations to pay $650 million to assist fund issues like habit remedy applications.

KELLY: Proper. And it will go to those two Ohio counties I discussed. I am pondering there’s acquired to be an entire lot of counties throughout the U.S. which can be combating the opioid disaster and should be eyeing this. How might this ruling resonate nationally?

MANN: Yeah, this might be a extremely huge deal nationally. This was what’s often known as a bellwether trial. It examined some authorized arguments about these pharmacy chains, whether or not they might be held accountable for his or her function within the opioid disaster. On this case, the reply was sure. They must pay. In his ruling right this moment, Choose Polster talked concerning the historic nature of this second, forcing corporations to pay to treatment what he described as a tenacious and escalating nationwide tragedy. Hundreds of different communities have already filed related lawsuits. So in idea, these pharmacy chains might be on the hook for billions of {dollars}.

KELLY: What are they saying, the businesses?

MANN: All three corporations stated they’ll enchantment. In its assertion, the corporate Walmart stated the true blame for the opioid disaster ought to fall on pill-mill docs and authorities regulators. However one factor these trials have revealed, Mary Louise, is simply what number of tablets these corporations allotted; huge portions of tablets, not simply in Ohio, however nationwide. NPR’s investigation final yr discovered some pharmacists at Walmart tried to boost pink flags about that through the years, allegedly about improper oversight. These are all claims that Walmart denies.

KELLY: Step again somewhat bit and simply give us a way of what is going on on elsewhere on the litigation panorama. I perceive another corporations have been settling opioid lawsuits not too long ago. What is going on on?

MANN: Yeah, that is proper. One factor that units these pharmacy chains aside is that they’ve refused to barter some type of huge nationwide opioid settlement, some type of huge lump sum that might finish their legal responsibility. As an alternative, they’re preventing this in court docket. And as I discussed, they plan to enchantment right this moment’s ruling. However in the previous couple of weeks, we have seen different corporations, together with drug makers Allergan, Endo and Teva, all attain huge, complete nationwide settlements collectively price greater than $7 billion. In idea, that cash will go to assist fund habit remedy applications all around the U.S.

KELLY: NPR habit correspondent Brian Mann. Thanks, Brian.

MANN: Thanks.

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