Consumer Law
Distributors Clash With Federal Regulators Over Who Should Be Blamed for the Opioid Epidemic
Opioid distribution companies and federal regulators pointed the finger at each other as a contributing factor in the nation’s opioid epidemic during a landmark civil trial in West Virginia.
A former Drug Enforcement Administration official and the distributors each argued Wednesday that the other side disregarded requests to comply with regulations and policies, The Herald-Dispatch reported. Doing so could have led to stopping the flow of pills into local communities, they said.
The lawsuit brought by Cabell County and the city of Huntington accuses AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health Inc. and McKesson Corp. of fueling the epidemic. The trial is being heard in Charleston.
