Is Walgreens Partially to Blame for Boston’s Opioid Abuse Epidemic?

 

Our country currently faces one of the worst drug epidemics it has ever seen, and Massachusetts ranks among the top states grappling with the problem.

Opioid drugs, including prescription painkillers as well as illegally manufactured “street drugs” like heroin, have led to startling increases in drug overdose deaths in the past few years. Tens of thousands of people have died, and teens are among the groups most heavily affected.

While illegal activities have contributed greatly to this problem, state authorities also hold pharmacies partially responsible for the Massachusetts opioid abuse epidemic. For instance, Walgreens recently agreed to pay the Commonwealth a $200,000 settlement for their role in dispensing opioids through imprudent practices. Lapses in common oversights, like requiring patients to fill controlled substance prescriptions at a single pharmacy location, allegedly led to an increase in diversions and abuse that could have been avoided had Walgreens and other pharmacies held to established practices.

The settlement amount will contribute to a youth opioid education and prevention fund, but it also serves as a stern warning for pharmaceutical professionals to avoid playing an implicit part in making our painkiller abuse problem even worse.

 

Massachusetts Opioid Abuse Epidemic Among Worst Nationwide

Of the 33,091 deaths related to opioid overdoses nationwide in 2015, the most recent year that the CDC provides complete data on, Massachusetts contributed 1,724 of them.

This number puts us at the ninth-highest state in terms of overall opioid overdoses, but our drug overdose death rate of 25.7 per 100,000 ranks us just outside the top five worst states by rate. West Virginia has the highest rate of deaths, 41.5 per 100,000, and California has the highest number of total drug overdose deaths at 4,659.

Massachusetts also had the highest statistically significant increase in its drug overdose death rate from 2014 to 2015, jumping up 35 percent in just one year.

 

Why Walgreens and CVS Are on the Hook for Opioid Overdoses

Most deaths related to opioid overdose involve illicitly manufactured or diverted drugs like heroin, fentanyl, morphine, and tranquilizers, but prescription opioid pills dispensed at places like Walgreens and CVS play a role in getting kids under 18 hooked, says Mass. Attorney General Maura Healey.

Even when these prescriptions are legitimate, pharmacies can engage in practices that make abuse or diversion of opioid pills more likely. For instance, Healey asserted that pharmacy chains failed to monitor opioid use by high-risk patients. Pharmacies are expected to require high-risk patients to fill prescriptions at one location, and the pharmacy is required to track the patient’s pattern of prescription use to look for signs of abuse.

Pharmacies are also not supposed to accept cash payments from patients enrolled in MassHealth, the state’s Medicaid program. When cash is used, MassHealth does not have the opportunity to approve the dispensing of medication. They may never even be billed or notified, denying them the opportunity to reject the prescription or flag the patient record.

Walgreen’s settlement follows a similar $795,000 settlement from CVS pharmacies, which faced scrutiny for similar practices. Under the settlement agreements, Walgreens and CVS must use the state’s Prescription Monitoring Program database to track patients and look for patterns of drug abuse.

Hopefully, awareness on the part of pharmacies in addition funding of programs through the state’s new Youth Opioid Prevention fund will reduce the number of tragic and avoidable overdose deaths we have seen in recent years.

 

Holding Pharmacies Responsible for Dispensing Opioids Unethically

If you or a close family member of yours have encountered issues relating to prescription opioid drug abuse and have filled controlled substance prescriptions at a Walgreens or CVS location, you may possibly have grounds to claim damages for any resulting physical, medical or psychological harm.

Explore your options with a Boston personal injury lawyer today to receive a free case evaluation and weigh strategies for seeking damages. Contact Kiley Law Group now using the toll-free number or our quick contact form found below to potentially start your case today.

 

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