The U.S. has been dealing with a very costly opioid epidemic for many years now, and it's estimated that thousands of people are treated every single day in emergency rooms all across the country for their misuse of prescription opioid medication. It's also estimated that 1 in 4 individuals who receive the opioid prescription, for noncancer pain treatment, will eventually end up struggling with addiction.
West Virginia has been having a more difficult time than other states when it comes to battling this problem. According to CDC data, it's estimated that West Virginia had the highest drug-overdose rate related to opioid medication, for the year 2014. The state has a high prevalence of opioid prescriptions, compared to others in the US, and it's been said to be one state that's been worst affected by the crisis.
Attorneys in West Virginia are looking to try and deal with the problem in a new way, they want to go after the drug distributors.
A number of attorneys in West Virginia have already started to move forward with lawsuits that are aimed at major corporations that are responsible for distributing these pills in the community. The suits are seeking a hefty remedy, looking for billions of dollars in damages to reimburse for the damage that has been inflicted upon the community because of the opioid epidemic.
The lawsuits allege that the opioid distributors are responsible for creating a hazard to public health and safety by shipping inordinate quantities into the state, which violates West Virginia law.
The lawsuits were filed just this week and they were filed on behalf of two counties, and they don't plan on stopping there. They say that they've already got plans for at least five other counties to engage in lawsuits as well. The lawsuits are looking to make the argument that the unlawful conduct on behalf of the drug distributors, is both intentional and purposeful. It's alleged that a number of the distribution companies are well aware that their products are ending up on the black market or being misused, yet still they keep pumping them onto the shelves.
Some of the corporations which have been named in the lawsuits: Cardinal Health, McKesson Corp, AmerisourceBergen, Walgreens, CVS, and others have been mentioned.
The attorney general's office has already settled lawsuits pertaining to this issue in West Virginia, when it comes to distributors violating state consumer protection laws. Some of those corporations named above, like Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen, have already agreed to pay millions despite their negation that they are guilty of any wrongdoing in the matter.
West Virginia might not be the only state that is looking to file these sorts of lawsuits. It's alleged that attorneys general in other states are also considering similar courses of action. A growing number are pointing the finger at the distributors for the end result of the negative economic impact that the opioid addiction has resulted in for many jurisdictions.
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Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/data/overdose.html
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-the-opioid-epidemic-is-so-bad-in-west-virginia-2016-4
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/lawsuits-filed-against-drug-distributors-in-west-virginia/2017/03/09/f9e3165e-0501-11e7-b1e9-a05d3c21f7cf_story.html?utm_term=.3c6e2c0a4488