Reasonable or Reckless? Judge Weighs Pharma Actions in Opioid Battle
The outcome of a landmark federal opioid trial in West Virginia hangs on whether or not it was considered reasonable or reckless for three of America's biggest pharma corporations to ship roughly 81 million highly addictive opioid pills to pharmacies in one small Rust Belt city.
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The outcome of a landmark federal opioid trial in West Virginia hangs on whether or not it was considered reasonable or reckless for three of America’s biggest corporations — the drug wholesalers AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson — to ship roughly 81 million highly addictive opioid pills to pharmacies in one small Rust Belt city on the Ohio River, reports NPR.
U.S. District Judge David Faber’s ruling in Charleston, W.Va on this question, while not expected for a month, could set legal precedents that shape corporate accountability for the opioid epidemic raging in thousands of communities across the United States. The companies deny any wrongdoing and say the huge shipments of pills — which they acknowledge occurred — reflected trends in opioid prescribing practices by doctors, which were out of their control.
