Linda Clark, Health Care Controversies Team leader, recently had her “A Tale of Two Courts: How Opioid Cases, Evolving During the COVID-19 Crisis, May Shape Pharmacist Liability and Best Practices” article published in the National Community Pharmacists Association’s America’s Pharmacist.
“Even as the world’s health care system faces the unprecedented challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, opioid litigation continues its march through the legal system toward trial (Figure 1). These cases against drug companies, suppliers, and pharmacies are expected to yield important precedent that may broadly affect pharmacist liability and practices in the emerging post-COVID world.
The lawsuits have been filed by many different plaintiffs, including cities, counties, Native American tribes, and municipalities. More than 2,500 federal lawsuits have been brought against participants in the drug supply chain including pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. The claims asserted seek reimbursement for governmental expenditures arising out of opioid addictions and overdoses. The defendants have included major pharmaceutical companies such as McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health, AmerisourceBergen, Purdue Pharma, Janssen Pharmaceuticals (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson), Endo International, Teva Pharmaceutical, Allergan (formerly Actavis), Watson Pharmaceuticals, and Covidien. Many of these cases have been consolidated into a combined case often referred to as the “MDL” or “Multidistrict Opioid Litigation” now pending before a US District Court in Cleveland, Ohio.”
Read the full article here.