Posted on 11/25/2021 8:16:36 AM PST by Lowell1775
Three retail pharmacy chains recklessly distributed vast amounts of pain pills in two Ohio counties, a federal jury said on Tuesday, in a verdict that could set the tone for US city and county governments that want to hold pharmacies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis.
Lake and Trumbull counties blamed pharmacies operated by CVS, Walgreens and Walmart for not stopping the flood of pills that caused hundreds of overdose deaths and cost each of the two counties about $1bn, their attorney said.
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
Lake and Trumbull counties blamed pharmacies operated by CVS, Walgreens and Walmart for not stopping the flood of pills that caused hundreds of overdose deaths and cost each of the two counties about $1bn, their attorney said.
It was the first time pharmacy companies had completed a trial to defend themselves in a drug crisis that has killed half a million Americans over the past two decades.
The counties were able to convince the jury the pharmacies played an outsized role in creating a public nuisance in the way they dispensed pain medication into their communities.
Attorneys for the chains maintained they had policies to stem the flow of pills when pharmacists had concerns and would notify authorities about suspicious orders from doctors. They also said it was the doctors who controlled how many pills were being prescribed for legitimate medical needs.
Two other chains – Rite Aid and Giant Eagle – have settled lawsuits with the two Ohio counties.
Attorney Mark Lanier, who represented the counties, said during the trial that the pharmacies were attempting to blame everyone but themselves.
The opioid crisis has overwhelmed courts, social services agencies and law enforcement in Ohio’s blue-collar corner east of Cleveland, leaving behind heartbroken families and babies born to addicted mothers, Lanier told jurors.
Roughly 80m prescription painkillers were dispensed in Trumbull county alone between 2012 and 2016 – equivalent to 400 for every resident. In Lake county, about 61m pills were distributed during the same period.
The rise in physicians prescribing pain medications such as oxycodone and hydrocodone came at a time when medical groups began recognizing that patients have the right to be treated for pain, Kaspar Stoffelmayr, an attorney for Walgreens, said at the opening of the trial.
The problem, he said, was that “pharmaceutical manufacturers tricked doctors into writing way too many pills”.
The counties said pharmacies should be the last line of defense to prevent the pills from getting into the wrong hands. They didn’t hire enough pharmacists and technicians or train them to stop that from happening and failed to implement systems that could flag suspicious orders, Lanier said.
The trial before US district judge Dan Polster in Cleveland was part of a broader constellation of federal opioid lawsuits – about 3,000 in total – that have been consolidated under the judge’s supervision. Other cases are moving ahead in state courts.
It was one of five trials so far this year in the US to test claims brought by governments against parts of the drug industry over the toll of prescription painkillers. The Oklahoma court found that a lower court wrongly interpreted the state’s public nuisance law. The Oklahoma case was the first of its kind to go to trial. Oklahoma court overturns $465m opioid ruling against Johnson & Johnson
Trials against drugmakers in New York and distribution companies in Washington state are under way. A trial of claims against distribution companies in West Virginia has wrapped up, but the judge has not yet given a verdict.
Earlier in November, a California judge ruled in favor of top drug manufacturers in a lawsuit with three counties and the city of Oakland. The judge said the governments hadn’t proven that the pharmaceutical companies used deceptive marketing to increase unnecessary opioid prescriptions and create a public nuisance.
Also in November, Oklahoma’s supreme court overturned a 2019 judgment for $465m in a suit brought by the state against drugmaker Johnson & Johnson.
Other lawsuits have resulted in big settlements or proposed settlements before trials were completed.
See also.....
Seems to be all the rage right now....
This decision seems stupid. The pharmacies presumably only dispensed medicines with a physician Rx. The proper target should have been the prescribing physicians. Maybe just too diverse a target and not a large opportunistic pot of gold.
Do pharmacies write prescriptions?
OHIO PING!
Please let me know if you want on or off the Ohio Ping list.
CVS, Walmart and Walgreens fueled opioid crisis, US jury finds
The Guardian - UK ^ | 23 Nov 2021 | Staff
Posted on 11/25/2021, 11:16:36 AM by Lowell1775
How about the manufacturer who made all those amber colored pill bottles?
Oops, probably in China.
Are pharmacies supposed to call doctors and tell them they refuse to honor prescriptions?
How is that supposed to work?
I agree. What would have happened if these pharmacies refused to fill the prescriptions? If there were 'red flags' (e.g. multiple refills within a short period of time; improper dosing) and they ignored those, then they would have some culpability. Otherwise, it's not their job to police prescribers.
Exactly.
The world is upside down.
Not really. Killing Walmart is part of the left’s plan.
Pharmacies just fill prescriptions written by doctors.
Unless they were filling fake prescriptions that they knew were fake, they have no liability.
Dr.Deepak Chopra said on several occasions this line or similar:
“We put drug pushers in jail but give licenses to doctors to do the same thing. It is impossible to go after them legally in most cases..., July 2, 2009
“I think most physicians are legalized drug pushers. I believe 80% of the drugs that are prescribed are of optional or marginal benefit. Wouldn’t make a bit of ....” 1999 interview quoted in High Times Magazine.
No, killing Americans is the plan. Don't lose sight of that. Making it harder to get meds will be one step closer to their goal. The CCP would be proud.
I have been streaming ‘Dopesick’ on Hulu/ROKU. Interesting docudrama. It shows the early days of the opiod crisis — late 1990s through the mid 2000s.
Worth watching.
Of course, there is the obligatory lesbian story line. ROKU’s fast-forward works great.
Ibamacare strikes again. Questionnaire that directly linked to medicare disbursement. How well was your pain controlled. Such a major problem, it was removed. Too late. The best servants are those addicted to drugs you conteol. Just ask the sex traffickers.
Go for the ones with deep pockets.
Lawyers.
My mother died a slow, agonizing death from cancer. The pharmacy at one point refused to fill her morphine prescription prescribed by a hospice doctor. My mother was at the point where no harm could possibly be done. We eventually got the medication, but it was an unnecessary hassle in a very stressful situation. I am of the opinion that if a doctor prescribes it the pharmacy should fill it. If the pharmacy suspects a forged prescription, they can deal with that.
Why Walmart has pretty much gone Left.
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