The Justice Department alleges that Walmart’s pharmacies and distribution unit filled opioid prescriptions they knew were invalid. It says Walmart also failed to report suspicious orders to the DEA. It has sued the company in federal court in Delaware. Walmart denies it. It says pharmacists cannot come between doctor and patient, and that the DEA ignored its leads.
Summary: Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, agreed to close the company and pay $8 billion. Since then, other probes and legal fights have begun. The Justice Department has sued Walmart’s stores and its wholesale arm. It says Walmart handed out opioids without a hard look at the prescriptions. That, it says, helped drive the opioid epidemic. Walmart disagrees. It says it could not come between the doctor and the patient, and that it reported suspicious prescriptions to the DEA. In the end, these fights may also hurt patients who need opioids to control chronic pain.
Since the opioid epidemic hit the news, things have changed fast. Many groups have brought in new rules. Under that pressure, many probes have also begun. So has the blame game.
Now the Department of Justice alleges that Walmart played a big role in the opioid crisis. The department says Walmart’s store chain and distribution unit share the blame for the epidemic.
The Justice Department says Walmart did not pay enough attention, and so it broke the law. It says Walmart kept handing out opioids to hundreds and thousands of people with invalid prescriptions. It also says Walmart failed to report suspicious opioid orders. The department filed the case in the US District Court for the District of Delaware.
The department says Walmart is the largest pharmacy chain. It has the means to stop these violations. But it did not take the right steps.
Walmart has blasted the Justice Department for making up theories. It says doctors wrote the prescriptions, and its pharmacies were bound to fill them. So Walmart cannot come between the doctor and the patient.
The Justice Department rejects that answer. It says Walmart knew many of those prescriptions were not for true medical purposes. It also blames Walmart for failing to report these problems to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Walmart disputes most of this. It says the regulators, including the DEA, failed. It says it gave its pharmacists the power to refuse a prescription that looked doubtful or wrong. Walmart also claims it sent tens of thousands of investigative leads and blocked thousands of questionable doctors. But, it says, the DEA failed to act on these leads.
The Justice Department has been going after every company it holds responsible for the opioid epidemic. Things changed after Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, pleaded guilty. It agreed to pay more than $8 billion to close the company.
All these legal fights are bad news for people in chronic pain and for people fighting opioid addiction. People who need opioids for pain will now struggle to get refills. People who seek opioid addiction treatment may also have a hard time.
Doctors and pharmacists should take extra care with controlled substances. But when some people misuse a drug, that should not cut off a useful medicine for those who need it most. That includes people in chronic pain treatment or opioid addiction treatment.
The opioid epidemic has caused many problems. But if opioids become hard to get, many people addicted to them will switch to other drugs. People with chronic pain have few options. In many cases, opioids cannot be replaced. Picture makers that stop producing, pharmacies that stop dispensing, and doctors that stop prescribing. Millions of people would then suffer from pain and other serious health problems.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Justice Department say Walmart did?
The Justice Department says Walmart’s pharmacies and its distribution unit kept filling opioid prescriptions they knew were invalid. It says they also failed to report suspicious opioid orders to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). As the largest pharmacy chain, Walmart had the means to prevent these violations, it argues, and did not use them. The department filed the case in the US District Court for the District of Delaware.
How did Walmart respond to the opioid lawsuit?
Walmart denies the claims. It says doctors write the prescriptions, and its pharmacists cannot come between a doctor and a patient. Walmart says it gave its pharmacists the power to refuse doubtful prescriptions. It says it sent tens of thousands of investigative leads to the DEA and blocked thousands of questionable doctors. And it says the DEA failed to act on those leads.
How can opioid lawsuits affect people with chronic pain?
Legal fights over opioids make pharmacies slow to fill scripts and doctors less willing to prescribe. People who need opioids for chronic pain may struggle to get refills. People who seek opioid addiction treatment may have a hard time too. For many pain patients, opioids cannot be replaced. Less access leaves them in pain with few other options.
Does making opioids harder to get stop opioid addiction?
No. When opioids get hard to find, many people addicted to them switch to other drugs. The problem moves. It does not end. Care with controlled substances matters. But misuse by some people should not cut off a useful medicine for the patients who need it most. That includes people in chronic pain treatment or opioid addiction treatment.
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