An American judge sentenced three of the major US pharmacy chains to pay $ 650 million for their role in the opioid crisis. The Cleveland federal judge’s ruling states that Walmart, Cvs e Walgreens they will have to pay a total of $ 650 million to two Ohio counties over the next 15 years to offset the costs of fighting the opium drug addiction epidemic and subsequent overdose deaths.
United States, half a billion in compensation to natives for the massacre of opioids
by Massimo Basile
Last November, the jury ruled that the three pharmacy chains were responsible for the crisis due to policies of poor control over the sales of these painkilling drugs, which are enormously addictive. The two counties had in effect asked for billionaire compensation, but Judge Dan Polster ruled that the three companies should be held only partially liable and therefore ordered the payment of smaller compensation.
OxyContin and opioid crisis in the United States: preliminary ok for “Purdue” bankruptcy
The three chains will still appeal, denying any responsibility since the drugs were sold on presentation of a medical prescription. “Instead of addressing the real cause of the opioid crisis, such as false prescription labs, and dormant control entities, the plaintiffs ‘lawyers wrongly argued that pharmacists should have challenged doctors’ prescriptions in a way not legally required. Walmart said in a statement.
Usa, opioids: 50 billion agreement to close the lawsuits against the big names in the pharmaceutical industry
Between 1999 and 2019, nearly half a million people died in the United States from overdoses of opium-based pills, either regularly prescribed as pain relievers, or obtained illegally.