State sues opioid distributors for alleged "illegal" shipments



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Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the three largest prescription opioid distributors in the state, claiming that he was "in danger." they had not alerted the law enforcement agencies of suspicious orders and had illegally shipped the drugs here for years.

The activities of the three companies have contributed to the illegal supply of opioids and helped fuel the epidemic of opioids in the country, according to the lawsuit filed in King County Superior Court.

The lawsuit alleges that McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp. have paid billions of dollars to fuel the epidemic of opioids, by shipping large amounts of oxycodone, fentanyl, hydrocodone and other prescription opioids. even though they should have known about these meds. could end up in the hands of drug traffickers and drug addicts.

In 2015, Ferguson reported that eight counties had more ordinances than population – Asotin, Clallam, Grays Harbor, Columbia, Garfield, Pend Orielle, Lewis and Benton. In 2008, there were 16 counties with more prescriptions than locals. Between 2006 and 2017, overdoses of opioids killed more than 8,000 Washingtonians, more than the victims of car accidents or firearms.

The epidemic has put a strain on Washington's health care system. Between 2009 and 2014, the rate of opioid-related hospital and clinic stays increased by more than 60% in the state of Washington.

According to Ferguson, opioid distributors are legally required to control the size and frequency of prescriptions to identify suspicious orders that may be diverted to the illicit drug market. Distributors are required to stop these suspicious shipments and report them to the Federal Agency for Drugs Control.

"The opioid epidemic has devastated families in the state of Washington and upset our health system, all because these pills have been flooded in the state in an impressive number," Ferguson said.

The lawsuit alleges that McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen – among the top Fortune 500 companies – have been repeatedly repressed by the DEA for failing to arrest and report suspicious opioid shipments. , paying hundreds of millions of fines for failing to do so. follow the rules

"Between 2006 and 2014, during this one period alone, they provided more than two billion opioid tablets to Washington," Ferguson said.

Ferguson's lawsuit seeks civil penalties and damages for businesses. He also asks the court to order the distributors to divest the millions of dollars in profits made in Washington as a result of their illegal behavior. These benefits would then be used to cure the effects of the opioid epidemic, possibly funding treatment, education, etc., he said.

"We are sorely lacking resources for treatment. The people responsible for this epidemic should pay the price, "Ferguson said. "We will hold these companies accountable and pay more money into our communities for treatment."

Ferguson states that McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen have been the victims of multiple actions by the DEA and other jurisdictions for failing to monitor and arrest the suspicious orders. McKesson has been fined more than $ 160 million and Cardinal has been fined five times for a total of nearly $ 100 million since 2008, Ferguson said.

About 10 states and a large number of cities sued at least one of the distributors. Washington is suing opioid manufacturers separately.

AmerisourceBergen issued a statement in response to Ferguson's lawsuit:

Amerisource Bergen and other wholesale drug distributors are responsible for moving FDA-approved drugs from pharmaceutical manufacturers to DEA-approved pharmacies, as prescribed by physicians and licensed health care providers. Our role in this regard is quite widespread in different therapies, with the distribution of opioid-based products accounting for less than 2% of our sales.

We are determined to do our part as a distributor to limit the diversion of these drugs without interfering with the clinical decisions made by physicians, who interact directly with patients and decide on the most appropriate treatments for their care. Beyond notification and immediate termination of potentially suspicious orders, we deny service to customers that we consider to be a diversion risk and provide the DEA with daily reports detailing the quantity, type and destination pharmacy of each order of these products that we distribute. .

We are committed to working with all stakeholders, including in Washington, to find ways to combat opioid use.

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