Chain pharmacies found responsible for opioid crisis

After a six-week trial and five days of deliberation, a federal jury in Ohio recently found that three very large chain pharmacies were responsible in a significant way for the opioid crisis in two Ohio counties. Jan Hoffman reports for The New York Times that CVS Health, Walmart and Walgreens were found accountable for opioid overdoses and deaths. The insurers covering the opioids that were dispensed should also be found accountable.

Germany never had an opioid crisis. The federal government in Germany controls the drugs that insurers cover and restricted coverage of opioids by health insurers. It’s unfathomable that corporate health insurers in the US, allegedly in business to manage people’s care, approved coverage of opioids in millions of cases where alternative non-addictive pain relievers were available to treat pain.

Thousands of lawsuits have been filed across the United States against pharmaceutical companies for fueling the opioid public health crisis and creating a “public nuisance.” California and Oklahoma judges have not bought the argument, saying that the opioid manufacturers were not directly linked to the overdoses and deaths.

Unfortunately, most of these lawsuits are still working their way through the system. And, opioid overdoses and deaths are on the rise. Many of those overdoses were of illegal opioids such as heroin and fentanyl bought on the street. But, those purchases are a bi-product of people becoming addicted to opioids that were legally prescribed.

Over the summer, Nassau and Suffolk counties in New York State settled an opioid case with Walgreens, Rite Aid, CVS and Walmart for $26 million.