Oxycodone pill. (Photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

State sues 3 major drug retailers for role in fueling opioid epidemic

AG Bob Ferguson alleges Albertsons, Kroger and Rite Aid of failing to prevent overuse of opioid prescriptions

  • By Jerry Cornfield jcornfield@soundpublishing.com
  • Tuesday, December 27, 2022 3:46pm
  • NewsNorthwest

OLYMPIA — Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Dec. 21 sued Albertsons, Kroger and Rite Aid, alleging the companies’ pharmacy operations helped fuel the state’s opioid epidemic by failing to prevent overprescribing of drugs tied to thousands of overdose deaths. 

Ferguson also announced Washington had signed onto resolutions of multistate lawsuits with five other companies that produced or sold opioids. Those settlements will net roughly $435 million for state and local opioid abatement programs and services.

“We want to make sure they pay for the damage they caused,” he said at a Seattle press conference.

The lawsuit filed in King County Superior Court alleges the chains collectively ignored federal regulations and knowingly oversupplied prescription opioids into the state.

Though the national companies had the data to properly monitor and dispense prescriptions, they failed to give it to their own pharmacists who wound up filling prescriptions from medical providers whose prescribing license was suspended or revoked, Ferguson said.

Moreover, the companies tied their pharmacists’ pay to how fast they filled prescriptions, preventing them from doing their job and checking that a prescription was safe for that customer, Ferguson asserted.

Without effective controls, the pharmacies “actively contributed to the oversupply of such drugs and fueled an illegal secondary market,” state attorneys wrote in the suit.

The lawsuit notes that in 2011, 112 million daily doses of prescription opioids were pumped into Washington — enough for a 16-day supply for every woman, man and child in the state. In 2017, four Washington counties had more opioid prescriptions than people.

Between 2006 and 2021, opioid overdoses killed more than 12,000 Washingtonians, state attorneys wrote.

The pharmacies’ business practices violated the state Consumer Protection Act and their actions ran afoul of Washington’s public nuisance law as they contributed to the damaging effects of the opioid crisis in communities across the state, the attorney general said.

Also named as defendants are pharmacy chains acquired by the three companies: Bartell Drugs, Fred Meyer, QFC, Safeway and Haggen.

The lawsuit asks the court to award penalties of $7,500 for each violation of the Consumer Protection Act and take injunctive actions to prevent further damage to communities.

Representatives of the three companies could not be immediately reached for comment.

Also Wednesday, Ferguson said the state has joined resolution of lawsuits against CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Teva and Allergen that will result in those firms paying millions to cities, counties and the state to combat opioid use disorder. Specifically, the payouts are:

• CVS — $110.6 million over 10 years;

• Walgreens — $120.3 million over 15 years;-

• Walmart — $62.6 million with 97% due in the first year

• Teva — $90.7 million over 13 years

• Allergan — $50 million over 7 years.

The collective amount, $434.4 million, will be split evenly between the state and local governments. That would work out to several million dollars for Snohomish County and cities in the county.

The resolutions are not final yet. That will come when enough states sign onto the terms of the resolution and enough local governments — including those that filed lawsuits of their own against the firms — join in.

“We are just learning this information. We will be reviewing the proposed settlement documents,” said Jason Cummings, incoming Snohomish County prosecuting attorney. “These are entities we’ve identified as defendants in our present lawsuit who’ve contributed to the proliferation of opioids in our community.”

Money from those settlements would be in addition to $518 million secured earlier this year with McKesson Corp.,Cardinal Health Inc. and AmerisourceBergen Drug Corp.

Up to $215 million is earmarked for local governments and is intended for addiction treatment, prevention services, opioid education and other programs to address the societal impacts of the opioid epidemic. Annual payments begin this month and continue for 16 years.

Snohomish County and 11 cities will receive money based on formulas agreed upon by local governments. The county expects to get nearly $1.1 million this month and $14.9 million through 2039. Overall, more than $25 million will arrive to local coffers under the terms of the distributors’ settlement.

Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @dospueblos


Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in News

t
A change of cities to Auburn from Kent for Bridges neighborhood

Kent City Council approves move by Auburn to annex area and remove municipal island

Courtesy Photo, City of Kent
Comcast service outage covered 25 square miles in Kent

Company doesn’t release customer numbers impacted by outage

Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla. COURTESY PHOTO, Kent Police
Kent Police seek tips, clues to find Comcast cable line vandals

Police chief says ‘We take these cases seriously’

t
Thousands in Kent lose Comcast service after vandals damage cable lines

Connection went down early Thursday morning, Nov. 30; service could be out until 8 to 10 p.m.

t
Northwood Middle School mourns death of 13-year-old Chloe Comeau

‘She was the most loving, courageous and positive person,’ mother says after daughter battled brain tumor

The area within the dotted line is a Kent neighborhood known as The Bridges, completely surrounded by Auburn. (COURTESY IMAGE)
Auburn council slated to vote on Bridges annexation

This would set the clock ticking down to 12:01 a.m., Jan. 1, 2024, when the annexation of the neighborhood from Kent to Auburn becomes official.

t
Recruit firefighters in Kent learn ladder raising, auto extrication and more | Photos

All part of a 21-week course to join Puget Sound Fire and other local departments

Echo Glen Children’s Center (Screenshot from Washington State Dept. of Children, Youth, and Families)
Three teens caught after escaping from Echo Glen Children’s Center

At least ten inmates have escaped from the juvenile correctional facility this year.

Courtesy photo, City of Kent
Kent City Council approves mayor’s budget adjustment for 2024

Dash cameras for police one of only new items in mainly status-quo budget

t
Kent Schools Foundation awards $50,000 in grants to school district

Thirty-six schools will receive support for educational initiatives and resources

t
Two Kent men plead not guilty to Federal Way murder

Enter pleas Nov. 27 in King County Superior Court in Kent

t
Kent bicyclist killed in collision with vehicle identified

Jason Allen Coffin, 48, died in Nov. 22 crash along Central Avenue South