All Too Easy
Over the past couple of months, chances are that you've heard about the opioid crisis that's plagued the United States for almost over two decades. Whether it's fentanyl, codeine, or morphine, the mass distribution of many opioid drugs have thrown many Americans into debilitating addictions and torn apart lives in the process.
Many argue that the crisis started in 1995 when OxyContin is marketed as a safer opioid by their manufacturer Purdue Pharma. as time goes on, the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) started to notice the rise in opioid abuse and launched an investigation that shocked many.
The FDA uncovered that since the 90's, doctors had been prescribing doses that were not only too powerful, but doctors would refill the prescription if the patient complained of surgery pains not going away. The frequent doses and the potency of the drugs got people with no history of addiction addicted to powerful drugs like OxyContin and Fentanyl.
The opioid epidemic has taken a toll on America and many are enthusiastic to see regulations go up. Just earlier this year, the company Johnson and Johnson were ordered to pay $572 million for their involvement of the manufacturing of the opioid pills that directly led to the opioid crisis in Oklahoma.
Why is that important? Because you may have recently shopped at one of the largest distributors of opioid pills.
Walgreens is no stranger with the opioid crisis. They've had to deal with lawsuit after lawsuit of opioid problems and the data is clear why. Walgreens received and distributed over 12.9 billion OxyContin or hydrocodone pills.
Yet again, why is that important? Because Walgreens sold more than 3 billion more than their closest competitor, and not all of that distribution is legal.
Now, when the FDA looked into it, they noticed that Walgreens had failed to report hundreds of suspicious prescriptions and had had even filled them. When the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) got involved and required Walgreens to report the suspicious prescriptions, Walgreens did nothing to stop the distribution, but they only took note of suspicious prescriptions.
According to Jen Abelson of the Washington Post, "The company had 'runaway growth' of oxycodone sales because it continued to send pills to stores 'without limit or review,' Edward Bratton, Walgreens manager of pharmaceutical integrity, wrote to another employee in 2013. The email is among thousands of documents recently disclosed in a federal lawsuit that seeks to hold Walgreens and other businesses responsible for the nation’s opioid crisis" (Read Full Article Here).
Walgreens knew about their problems with opioid abusers and did nothing about it. As pharmaceutical companies around Walgreens fall, it raises the question as to if Walgreens should be held more responsible for their role in the opioid crisis because of their sales with almost no regulations.
Should Walgreens be held responsible? If so, what can they do in communities to make up their mistake?
Many argue that the crisis started in 1995 when OxyContin is marketed as a safer opioid by their manufacturer Purdue Pharma. as time goes on, the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) started to notice the rise in opioid abuse and launched an investigation that shocked many.
The FDA uncovered that since the 90's, doctors had been prescribing doses that were not only too powerful, but doctors would refill the prescription if the patient complained of surgery pains not going away. The frequent doses and the potency of the drugs got people with no history of addiction addicted to powerful drugs like OxyContin and Fentanyl.The opioid epidemic has taken a toll on America and many are enthusiastic to see regulations go up. Just earlier this year, the company Johnson and Johnson were ordered to pay $572 million for their involvement of the manufacturing of the opioid pills that directly led to the opioid crisis in Oklahoma.
Why is that important? Because you may have recently shopped at one of the largest distributors of opioid pills.
Walgreens is no stranger with the opioid crisis. They've had to deal with lawsuit after lawsuit of opioid problems and the data is clear why. Walgreens received and distributed over 12.9 billion OxyContin or hydrocodone pills.
Yet again, why is that important? Because Walgreens sold more than 3 billion more than their closest competitor, and not all of that distribution is legal.
Now, when the FDA looked into it, they noticed that Walgreens had failed to report hundreds of suspicious prescriptions and had had even filled them. When the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) got involved and required Walgreens to report the suspicious prescriptions, Walgreens did nothing to stop the distribution, but they only took note of suspicious prescriptions.
According to Jen Abelson of the Washington Post, "The company had 'runaway growth' of oxycodone sales because it continued to send pills to stores 'without limit or review,' Edward Bratton, Walgreens manager of pharmaceutical integrity, wrote to another employee in 2013. The email is among thousands of documents recently disclosed in a federal lawsuit that seeks to hold Walgreens and other businesses responsible for the nation’s opioid crisis" (Read Full Article Here). Walgreens knew about their problems with opioid abusers and did nothing about it. As pharmaceutical companies around Walgreens fall, it raises the question as to if Walgreens should be held more responsible for their role in the opioid crisis because of their sales with almost no regulations.
Should Walgreens be held responsible? If so, what can they do in communities to make up their mistake?
From Thomas:
ReplyDeleteThis comment is for Coopers Blog Post, “Very interesting post, Cooper. I think Walgreens should most definatly be held responsible. Furthermore, to make up for it, they should offer help to all who are now addicted to their prescription medications.”