City, county governments file suit against opioid makers, pharmacists
Several Missouri county and municipal governments, including Joplin and Jasper County, on Wednesday officially filed a lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies.
The suit, filed in Missouri’s 22nd circuit court in St. Louis, alleges multiple instances of misconduct on the part of the defendants with respect to the marketing of Oxycontin, a prescription opioid, and the distribution and management of those medications. The city of Joplin and Jasper County join Jefferson, Cape Girardeau, Christian, Crawford, Greene, Iron, Stone, Taney and Washington counties as plaintiffs in the suit.
Numerous drug makers and pharmacies are named as defendants, including Walgreens and CVS, Purdue Pharma and Teva Pharmaceuticals. Jack Garvey, a St. Louis attorney representing the governments, said the defendants “flooded” Joplin and Jasper County with prescription opioids in recent years.
“These companies created a bonfire full of toxic chemicals right in Joplin and walked away from it,” he said. “And it’s spreading noxious fumes and toxic fumes all across the country; they just left and said, ‘Hey, it’s your problem.'”
A Walgreens spokesperson declined to comment, citing a company policy not to discuss pending litigation. Purdue and CVS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Elizabeth DeLuca, senior director of corporate communications for Teva, said the company complies with all federal and state regulations with regard to opioids, is working on non-opioid medications for pain relief and frequently coordinates with health care officials and others to prevent drug abuse.
“Teva is committed to the appropriate use of opioid medicines, and we recognize the critical public health issues impacting communities across the U.S. as a result of illegal drug use as well as the misuse and abuse of opioids that are available legally by prescription,” she said.
The Jasper County Commission has called a news conference to discuss the lawsuit. It will begin at 3 p.m. today.
This story is developing and will be updated.
Filed under: General Problems
Ohhh just peachy!!! As if legitimate opioid prescribing won’t take another hit from these suits. The plaintiffs just hsnded pharmacists, chains and everyone else another “reason” (nothing reasonable about this WITCH HUNT) to refuse service, or cut off, or limit the actual pills being manufactured ..
Politicians are jumping on the wagon, trampling on the backs on CPPs to get there. CPPs are the next group of vulnerable populations to be blamed, shamed, judge and cut off from resources they need to survive. The current environment loves to blame the poor, immigrants, single moms, low wage earners, the elderly (It’s your fault you got old and wanna be a parasite draining Social Security, even though you worked your whole life, ) vets, disabled….unfettered capitalism and extreme fundamentalists, amongst other variables have indeed turned the US into a Darwinian netherworld of “survival of the fittest”.
Damn, I am headed back to bed and my heating pad, jumbo Motrin bottle and 2 cruddy muscle relaxers, my NEW pain regimen since being booted out of my PM clinic, along with “all chronic pain ” patients (only MVAs and Worker’s Comp)…my PCP won’t write any opiods, but referred me to the ONE clinic taking patients. That was 8 mos ago, MD not reviewrd my file yet (nor will he ever)
Meridian Mississippi joined in on the lawsuit and it’s nothing more than a money grab now. I’ll never understand how these city and counties can sue when heroin and illegal drugs is responsible for the majority of deaths. The manufacturers should sue the government for falsifying information.
Hey Meridian, I’m in Bay St Louis, MS