|
 Walmart said certain officials in the U.S. Justice Department are
threatening to sue the retail giant, claiming pharmacists should
have refused to fill otherwise valid opioid prescriptions.
"We are bringing this lawsuit because there is no federal law
requiring pharmacists to interfere in the doctor-patient
relationship to the degree DOJ is demanding," Walmart, which runs
one of the largest pharmacy chains in the country, said in a
statement
https://corporate.walmart.com/
newsroom/2020/10/22/walmart-sues-doj-and-dea-seeking-clarity-for-pharmacists-in-dispensing-prescription-opioids.
Walmart in the lawsuit against the DOJ and the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) said the federal authorities are seeking civil
penalties related to its alleged failure to submit suspicious order
reports and added that this potential move would be "unprecedented."
The DOJ and the DEA did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
[to top of second column] |
On Wednesday, a West Virginia court ruled that Walmart must turn over
information about federal and state investigations into its opioid-related
practices to hospitals suing the company for allegedly contributing to the
epidemic. https://reut.rs/37vZNim
Opioid addiction has claimed roughly 400,000 lives in the United States from
1999 to 2017, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Critics of the industry said opioid makers hid the addiction and abuse risks of
prolonged use from consumers.
(Reporting by C Nivedita in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva)
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