CVS, Walgreens & Walmart Ordered to Pay $650M for Role in Opioid Crisis - Blow to Foulkes' Campaign

Federal Judge Dan A. Polster of Northern Ohio on Wednesday ordered three of the nation’s largest pharmacy chains — CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart — to pay $650.5 million to two Ohio counties, ruling that the companies must be held accountable for their part in fueling the opioid epidemic. 

The decision is a companion piece to a November jury verdict that found the three pharmacy chains had continued to dispense mass quantities of prescription painkillers over the years while ignoring flagrant signs that the pills were being abused.

The ruling has an impact here in Rhode Island, as CVS is headquartered in Woonsocket and is the largest for-profit employer. CVS faces cases in other states around the country.

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In addition, gubernatorial candidate Helena Foulkes headed the pharmacy function at CVS when the abuse took place.

She has repeatedly said that she and others missed the signs.

But, the sales and profits skyrocketed over nearly a decade, and the pharmacies did little to stem the crisis.

Mark Lanier, the Texas lawyer who led the plaintiffs’ trial team, said of the pharmacy chains in comments to the New York Times: “These companies are rending the fabric of society apart. They should not only show remorse, they should show they need to rectify what they’ve done. And they won’t do it. So the judge is doing it.”

CVS said in a statement to GoLocal, "We strongly disagree with the Court’s decision regarding the counties’ abatement plan, as well as last fall’s underlying verdict. Pharmacists fill legal prescriptions written by DEA-licensed doctors who prescribe legal, FDA-approved substances to treat actual patients in need. We look forward to the appeals court review of this case, including the misapplication of public nuisance law."

As GoLocal has previously reported about the suits filed, including a July suit by the state of New Hampshire.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu said in an announcement, "When it comes to deadly, addictive drugs such as opioids, people trust their local pharmacies to help and protect them. Sadly, some of these national pharmacy chains failed to provide the people of New Hampshire the type of pharmacy care and protection they had a right to expect. Instead, they helped fuel an opioid epidemic in the Granite State."

"I applaud the efforts of the Attorney General's Office to hold these companies accountable for their role in New Hampshire's opioid crisis. These companies have been generating large profits off the people of New Hampshire. They must now help abate the harm they inflicted on our citizens," said Sununu.

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