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CVS, Walgreens, Walmart to pay $650M, ruled responsible in opioid crisis


CVS, Walgreens and Walmart have been ordered to pay up for damages related to the opioid crisis. A judge found the companies partially responsible for fueling an abundance of pills on the streets. $650 million will now go to two Ohio counties. Over the next 15 years, approximately $306.2 million must be paid to Lake County and approximately $344.4 million must be paid to Trumbull County.

The counties alleged that the pharmacies “abused their position of special trust and responsibility” and “fostered a black market for prescription opioids,” the complaint read. U.S. District Judge Dan Aaron Polster said big pharma ignored signs pills were being abused by continuing to fill orders.

Polster wrote in his ruling that the awarded damages are meant to “address a small piece of a terrible and tenacious and escalating national tragedy.”

All three companies plan to appeal the decision. They each released statements after Thursday’s ruling.

“As we have said throughout this process, we never manufactured or marketed opioids nor did we distribute them to the ‘pill mills’ and internet pharmacies that fueled this crisis,” Fraser Engerman, senior director of external relations for Walgreens said.

Walmart released a statement saying the plaintiffs in the case “sued Walmart in search of deep pockets.”

“Instead of addressing the real causes of the opioid crisis, like pill mill doctors, illegal drugs and regulators asleep at the switch, plaintiffs’ lawyers wrongly claimed that pharmacists must second-guess doctors in a way the law never intended and many federal and state health regulators say interferes with the doctor-patient relationship,” Walmart’s statement read.
Local leaders in Trumbull and Lake Counties, however, lauded the ruling and said the damages will go toward opioid abatement measures. The decision is a double whammy for Walgreens. Last week, the company was found liable for San Francisco’s opioid epidemic. The rulings could set a dangerous precedent for pharmaceutical companies.

{PHARMACIES PAY UP VO 1}
[TITLE: CVS, WALGREENS, WALMART FOUND LIABLE]
CVS WALGREENS AND WALMART HAVE BEEN ORDERED TO PAY UP.
A JUDGE FOUND THE COMPANIES PARTIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR FUELING THE OPIOID CRISIS.
650 MILLION DOLLARS WILL NOW GO TO TWO OHIO COUNTIES.
{ANCHOR]
[KARAH NAME SUPER]
[L3: ‘IGNORED SIGNS’ OF OPIOID CRISIS]
[TITLE]
THE JUDGE SAYS BIG PHARMA IGNORED SIGNS PILLS WERE BEING ABUSED-
BY CONTINUING TO FILL ORDERS.
ALL THREE COMPANIES PLAN TO APPEAL.
[L3: PLAN TO APPEAL DECISION]
THEY SAY PHARMACISTS SHOULDN’T CARRY THE BURDEN FOR FILLING LEGAL PRESCRIPTIONS WRITTEN BY LICENSED DOCTORS.
{PHARMACIES PAY UP VO 2}
[L3: DANGEROUS PRECEDENT FOR BIG PHARMA]
THE DECISION IS A DOUBLE WHAMMY FOR WALGREENS.
LAST WEEK THEY WERE FOUND LIABLE FOR SAN FRANCISCO’S OPIOID PANDEMIC.
THE RULINGS COULD SET A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT FOR PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES.