Walgreens contributed to San Francisco opioid crisis, judge rule

SAN FRANCISCO — On Wednesday, a federal judge held Walgreens responsible for contributing to San Francisco'sopioid crisis{9. over-dispensing highly addictive drugs for years without proper oversight and identifying and reporting questionable orders as required by law. for neglecting to

San Francisco Attorney David Chiu said the pharmacy chain "continuedly violated mandates under the Federal "I haven't seen many drugs," he said. Doctors who were dramatically overprescribing and other red flags.

"Pharmacists were pressured to go full, full, full, and as a result, Walgreens flooded our streets with opioids," he said.

"This decision gives voice to the thousands of lives lost to the opioid epidemic," said CBS News Bay Area in a prepared statement. said Chiu. ``This crisis did not come out of nowhere. We are grateful that the court heard our arguments and held Walgreens responsible for the damages it caused."

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer noted that from 2006 to 2020, “Walgreens pharmacies in San Francisco filled hundreds of thousands of red flag opioid prescriptions without filling them. Tens of thousands were written by doctors with questionable prescribing patterns. Evidence suggests that Walgreens did not provide pharmacists with sufficient time, personnel, or resources to perform due diligence on these prescriptions.

He has shown that massive amounts of illegal opioid prescriptions have overwhelmed the city's hospitals with opioid patients, libraries have been forced to close due to syringe-filled toilets, and children in San Francisco have been forced to close.

Walgreens Response  

A Walgreens spokesperson said the results were not supported by facts and law. Chain said it was disappointed.Chain told CBS News Bay Area it plans to appeal the decision.

It has never been sold, sold, or distributed to the 'pill mills' or internet pharmacies that fueled this crisis," spokesman Fraser Engerman said in a statement. "Plaintiffs' attempts to solve the opioid crisis with unprecedented expansion of pollution laws are misplaced and unsustainable. We look forward to the opportunity to address these issues on appeal."

In 2018, San Francisco sued Walgreens and pharmaceutical companies and distributors over the city's worsening opioid epidemic, accusing them of causing a "public nuisance" by flooding the city with prescription opioids. said to have caused All other defendants settled with the city for a total of $114 million, including $54 million that opioid makers Allergan and Teva agreed to pay the night before closing arguments in the trial, leaving Walgreens as the sole defendant.

Wednesday's judgment did not include a judgment on monetary damages. This will be decided at a future trial.

Opioid Harm

The opioid epidemic has killed more than 500,000 people in the United States over the past two decades. Illegal drugs such as heroin and illegally manufactured fentanyl.

The surge in death toll has resulted in more than 3,000 lawsuits filed in state and federal courts by state and local governments, Native American tribes, unions, hospitals and other groups over opioid abuse. .

In San Francisco, Mayor London Breed last year declared a state of emergency in the Tenderloin district, taking action against the crowds of drug dealers and people who consume drugs in public places. said there was a need.

San Francisco saw a nearly 500% increase in opioid-related overdose deaths between 2015 and 2020, according to the city's attorney's office. It is said that about one-fourth of the patients who visit related to opioids.

He had 257 deaths from COVID-19 compared to 712 people who died from drug overdoses in 2020, according to the city's health department.

A significant proportion of San Francisco's estimated 7,800 homeless people - many of whom camp in the Tenderloin - suffer from chronic addiction or severe mental illness, often both. Some people are naked in the streets and need medical help.

Pharmacy chains are less likely to be sued than opioid manufacturers and wholesalers who distribute the drugs more widely. Last year, a federal jury in Ohio found that CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart recklessly distributed large amounts of painkillers in her two counties in Ohio.

In May, Walgreens filed a $683 million deal with the state of Florida in a lawsuit accusing the company of improperly dispensing millions of pain relievers that contributed to the opioid crisis. A settlement was reached.Walgreens has not admitted wrongdoing in its contract with Florida and will pay the state over 18 years.

The company also faces lawsuits in states such as Alabama, Michigan and New Mexico.

His Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., based in Deerfield, Illinois, operates a network of approximately 9,000 drugstores in the United States. Walgreens and other prescription drug distributors face dozens of lawsuits over the opioid crisis.