US Government Files Lawsuit Against Rite Aid for Contributing to the Opioid Crisis
US Government Files Lawsuit , Against Rite Aid for Contributing to , the Opioid Crisis. On March 13, the United States government sued Rite Aid Corp, claiming that the pharmacy chain missed "red flags" while filling hundreds of thousands of prescriptions for controlled substances. On March 13, the United States government sued Rite Aid Corp, claiming that the pharmacy chain missed "red flags" while filling hundreds of thousands of prescriptions for controlled substances. NBC reports that the complaint filed by the Department of Justice alleges that prescriptions were filled that were medically unnecessary. NBC reports that the complaint filed by the Department of Justice alleges that prescriptions were filled that were medically unnecessary. The complaint also alleges that these prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids, were filled between May of 2014 and June of 2019. The Justice Department is using every tool at our disposal to confront the opioid epidemic that is killing Americans and shattering communities across the country, Merrick Garland, United States Attorney General, via NBC. According to the lawsuit, Rite Aid pharmacists ignored obvious signs of abuse and intentionally deleted internal warnings regarding suspicious prescribers. According to the lawsuit, Rite Aid pharmacists ignored obvious signs of abuse and intentionally deleted internal warnings regarding suspicious prescribers. One of the nation's largest pharmacy chains, Rite Aid, operates over 2,330 stores across 17 states. 'NYT' reports that the Justice Department also accuses the pharmacy chain of violating the federal False Claims Act in regard to government healthcare programs. Along with Rite Aid, the Justice Department has also filed lawsuits against Walmart Inc and drug distributor AmerisourceBergen Corp for their alleged roles in the opioid crisis. Along with Rite Aid, the Justice Department has also filed lawsuits against Walmart Inc and drug distributor AmerisourceBergen Corp for their alleged roles in the opioid crisis. Between 1999 and 2020, over 500,000 people died of drug overdoses in the United States. . According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020 alone, over 90,000 people died from overdoses
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State lawmakers nationwide are responding to the deadliest overdose crisis in U.S. history by pushing harsher penalties for possessing fentanyl and other powerful lab-made opioids that are connected to about 70,000 deaths a year.
Jessica Layman estimates she has called more than 150 doctors in the past few years in her search for someone to prescribe opioids for her chronic pain. “A lot of them are straight-up insulting,” said the 40-year-old, who lives in Dallas. “They say things like ‘We don’t treat drug addicts.’”
