Jury says CVS, Walgreens, Walmart had role in opioid crisis

Nov. 23 (UPI) -- A federal jury on Tuesday said pharmacies at CVS, Walgreens and Walmart contributed to the influx of large quantities of pain pills in two Ohio counties, contributing to the deadly opioid crisis.

The case is considered to be a "bellwether" trial in determining how much of a role pharmacies have played in fueling the crisis. Attorneys representing the plaintiffs -- Lake and Trumbull counties -- said the pharmacies disregarded their legal duties to block suspicious orders of controlled substances such as prescription opioids.

"For decades, pharmacy chains have watched as the pills flowing out of their doors cause harm and failed to take action as required by the law," attorneys for the plaintiffs said in a statement, according to The New York Times.

"The judgment today against Walmart, Walgreens and CVS represents the overdue reckoning for their complicity in creating a public nuisance."

Two other pharmacy chains -- Giant Eagle and Rite-Aid -- settled with the counties ahead of the verdict.

The trial judge is expected to decide on a punishment during a hearing in the spring. He could order the companies to pay billions of dollars to help address the fallout from the opioid crisis. The counties said the hundreds of overdose deaths and other factors have cost each about $1 billion.

Representatives for CVSHealth and Walgreen Co. said they plan to appeal the verdict, according to CNBC.

"As plaintiffs' own experts testified, many factors have contributed to the opioid abuse issue, and solving this problem will require involvement from all stakeholders in our healthcare system and all members of our community," CVSHealth spokesman Mike DeAngelis said.

Opioids caused more than 183,000 overdose deaths in the United States between 1999 and 2015. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics released a report last week showing numbers spiked in the 12-month period ending in April 2021, with opioids causing more than 75,600 overdose deaths.