Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Walmart Sued By Government Over Opioids
AP: Feds Sue Walmart Over Role In Opioid Crisis
The Justice Department sued Walmart on Tuesday, accusing it of fueling the nation’s opioid crisis by pressuring its pharmacies to fill even potentially suspicious prescriptions for the powerful painkillers. The civil complaint filed points to the role Walmart’s pharmacies may have played in the crisis by filling opioid prescriptions and Walmart’s own responsibility for the allegedly illegal distribution of controlled substances to the pharmacies at the height of the opioid crisis. Walmart operates more than 5,000 pharmacies in its stores around the country. (Balsamo and D'Innocenzio, 12/22)
Modern Healthcare: Walmart Ignored Red Flags In Illegitimate Opioid Prescription Orders, Feds Allege
Managers across Walmart's 5,000 U.S pharmacies denied its pharmacists the authority to refuse to fill prescriptions from known "pill mills" and withheld related compliance data from their workers, federal regulators alleged in the complaint filed in federal court. While Walmart stopped distributing controlled substances in 2018, it had received hundreds of thousands of suspicious orders that it failed to report to the Drug Enforcement Agency, according to the lawsuit, which is seeking what could be billions of dollars in damages and limitations on its prescribing privileges. (Kacik, 12/22)
The New York Times: Justice Department Sues Walmart, Saying It Fueled Opioid Crisis
The 160-page civil complaint alleges that Walmart knew its system for detecting questionable prescriptions was inadequate and details numerous instances when employees warned federal authorities and company managers about suspicious prescriptions. “As one of the largest pharmacy chains and wholesale drug distributors in the country, Walmart had the responsibility and the means to help prevent the diversion of prescription opioids,” Jeffrey Bossert Clark, acting assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s civil division, said in a statement. “Instead, for years, it did the opposite — filling thousands of invalid prescriptions at its pharmacies and failing to report suspicious orders of opioids and other drugs placed by those pharmacies.” (Benner and Corkery, 12/22)
NPR: Walmart Sued Over Its Alleged Role In The Opioid Crisis
If the retailer is found liable in the case, it could face civil penalties of up to $67,627 for each unlawful prescription filled and $15,691 for each suspicious order not reported. The case, which the department says was the result of a multi-year investigation, was filed in federal court in Delaware. The complaint alleges that Walmart violated the Controlled Substances Act in multiple ways, as the operator of both pharmacies and wholesale drug distribution centers. (Wamsley, 12/22)
In related news from West Virginia —
AP: WVa, Others To Get $1.85M In Federal Opioid Misuse Funding
West Virginia’s U.S. senators announced $1.85 million in federal funding for opioid misuse research and treatment programs in the state. The bulk of the money, $1.53 million, will go to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. West Virginia University will also get $222,500 for drug abuse and addiction research. (12/23)
