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A federal court in Cleveland, Ohio, announced that it will try four pharmacy chains: CVS, Giant Eagle, Walgreens and Walmart, this has to do with the public health crisis that has caused the excessive sale of opioids
Given this determination, the companies reported that they did not act irresponsibly in the way they sold painkillers, which are considered highly addictive . But the lawsuit could result in companies having to pay several million dollars in case liability is found on their part.
Those who know of the issue and its impact on people’s health, say companies have been reckless in the way they dispense opioid pain relievers, ignoring red flags as more and more people became addicted to these drugs .
Mark Lanier of the Lanier Law Firm, one of the leading lawyers who sued the pharmacy chains, publicly exposed that companies made billions of dollars dispensing opioids and did not implement adequate surveillance and security systems for the sale of high-risk drugs .
In accordance with current federal law, pharmacies are required to take steps to monitor, Block and report orders for controlled substances, including prescription opioids.
To our knowledge, more than 500, 000 people in United States United States have died from overdoses since the late 1990 , when pharmaceutical companies, including pharmacies, began distributing many more opioid medications.
If determines that companies are responsible, they could be required to pay billions of dollars to help governments cover the cost of addressing an opioid epidemic that has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans.
According to NPR, If Businesses Lose In court, they would not have to pay solely for the treatment of those affected, they could be required to compensate governments across the United States for the money invested to care for this epidemic, which finance care programs.
The companies tried unsuccessfully to have these lawsuits dismissed, arguing that the blame for the crisis of opioids are elsewhere, in drug manufacturers, doctors or government regulators.
Federal research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now estimates that the opioid crisis is costing people governments over $ 1 trillion a year.
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