CVS, Walgreens and Walmart $650 million must be paid A judge ruled Wednesday that two Ohio counties have played a role in the opioid epidemic. U.S. District Judge Aaron Polster said it would “address a small part of a horrific, dogged and escalating national tragedy.”but someone said ruling It is possible to cause further damage by scaring the pharmacist.
The decision shows that Polster believes an oversupply of prescription opioids from the three companies has contributed to the epidemics in Lake and Trumbull counties in Ohio. He ruled that pharmacies should bear one-third of the total cost of abatement, as should drugmakers, distributors and dispensers who prescribe opioids.
There are more than 3,000 cases that are part of a multi-district lawsuit over the opioid epidemic.So far, most drugmakers and distributors have achieve settlement with the counties that filed lawsuits against them. Wednesday’s ruling was the judge’s first against a large, high-profile retail pharmacy.
However, some say pharmacies are not to blame. Zach GrayCo-founder and CEO Opheliaa direct-to-patient digital health provider that combines telehealth with life-saving medication-assisted therapy (MAT) to treat opioid use disorder (OUD), called the ruling “good faith” but said it sent the wrong message information.
“While well-intentioned, this ruling has the potential to cause further damage by scaring pharmacies to dispense buprenorphine, a life-saving addiction treatment drug,” Gray said. “Buprenorphine is a drug used in the treatment of Controlled medications for opioid use disorder, pharmacies across the country have reluctance to assign it For fears it could prompt an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The decision sends a dangerous message to pharmacists: You should overrule the doctor — not doing so could be costly. “
Gray said the DEA should issue clearer guidance to pharmacists on prescribing opioid addiction.The agency has publicly committed to allowing telemedicine for buprenorphine beyond Pandemic But to be clear, remote prescribing of the drug is in line with its agenda, Gray said. This is especially important because the prescribing of buprenorphine is already highly regulated and prescribers need a special DEA license to dispense the drug. There are also strict limits on how many patients each prescriber can treat.
While pharmacists grapple with the fallout from the ruling, the retail pharmacy focus isn’t going away anytime soon.
Walgreens in trouble in California, a judge in the Northern District Earlier this month It was determined that pharmacies “have contributed in large part to the opioid epidemic.” The second phase of the trial will help determine Walgreens’ responsibility to curb the problems it helps create.
CVS Health, Walgreens and Walmart did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
