Florida sues Walgreens and CVS in connection with opioid crisis

Florida has taken legal action against Walgreens and CVS on Friday for allegedly aggravating the state and opioid crisis.

Florida accuses Walgreens and CVS in a lawsuit for contributing to the opioid crisis in the state and at the national level.

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced last Friday that she had added the country's two largest drugstore chains to a lawsuit filed in court by the state last spring against Purdue Pharma, the drug maker. OxyContin, and several opioid distributors.

"We will continue to look for companies that have played a role in creating the opioid crisis," said Attorney General Bondi. "Thousands of Floridians have suffered the actions of the accused."

FEDS PROSECUE THAT FENTANYL IS DEDICATED AS HOMICIDES IN THE REPRESENTATION OF OPIOID DEALERS

According to the amended complaint, Walgreens and CVS were two of the largest opioid distributors in Florida and had failed to meet their obligations under Florida law to stop suspected opioid orders received, according to the amended complaint. Bondi. The amended complaint also alleges that Walgreens and CVS distributed unreasonable amounts of opioids to their pharmacies.

Walgreens distributed 2.2 million opioid tablets from its store in Hudson, a city of 12,000 in the Tampa area, and in an unidentified city of 3,000, sold 285,000 tablets in a month, announced the lawsuit. In some stores, its opioid sales have increased six-fold in two years. The company disbursed $ 80 million five years ago to solve a federal investigation focused on inadequate accounting for its opioid sales in Florida, which allowed the pills to reach the black market.

Florida's charges against CVS were more general, claiming that she had sold 700 million doses of opioids between 2006 and 2014, including outrageous sales in Hudson and two other nearby cities.

CVS did not immediately respond Saturday to emails asking for comment, reported the Associated Press. Walgreens did not immediately respond to a phone message and emails. On their websites, both companies say they are committed to combating opioid abuse.

Associated Press contributed to this report.