Pharmacies responsible for role in opioid crisis

Families, courts, social services, police all affected

CLEVELAND — Three retail pharmacy chains recklessly distributed massive amounts of pain pills in two Ohio counties, a federal jury said Tuesday in a verdict that could set the tone for U.S. city and county governments that seek to hold pharmacies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis.

The counties blamed pharmacies operated by CVS, Walgreens and Walmart for not stopping a flood of pills that caused hundreds of overdose deaths, and cost each of the two counties about $1 billion, their attorney said.

This was the first time pharmacy companies had completed a trial to defend themselves in a drug crisis that has killed a half-million Americans over the past two decades. How much the pharmacies must pay in damages will be decided in the spring by a federal judge.

Lake and Trumbull counties were able to convince the jury that the pharmacies played an outsized role in creating a public nuisance in the way they dispensed pain medication into their communities.

Attorneys for the three pharmacy chains maintained they had policies to stem the flow of pills when their pharmacists had any concerns and would notify authorities about suspicious orders from doctors, whom they said controlled how many pills were being prescribed for legitimate medical needs.

Two other chains — Rite Aid and Giant Eagle — have already settled lawsuits with the two Ohio counties.

Attorney Mark Lanier, who represented the counties in the lawsuit, said at trial that the pharmacies were attempting to blame everyone but themselves.

The opioid crisis has overwhelmed courts, social services agencies and law enforcement in Ohio’s blue-collar corner east of Cleveland, leaving behind heartbroken families and babies born to addicted mothers, Lanier told jurors.

Roughly 80 million prescription painkillers were dispensed in Trumbull County alone between 2012 and 2016 — equivalent to 400 for every resident. In Lake County, some 61 million pills were distributed during the period.