Philadelphia Has Sued CVS Health and Other Pharmacy Benefit Managers Over Opioid Crisis
The city of Philadelphia is taking big pharma and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) like CVS Health, Express Scripts, and Optum to court, alleging that they contributed to the devastating opioid crisis sweeping the nation. The lawsuit claims that these companies knowingly over-distributed powerful opioids, often referred to as "killer pills," and deliberately misled consumers to increase profits.
As the middlemen between manufacturers, insurers, and pharmacies, PBMs played a critical role in flooding communities with addictive opioids, according to Mayor Cherelle Parker. The city is seeking compensatory damages for residents who have been affected by the crisis and punitive damages against the companies that allegedly profited from it.
CVS Health has denied the allegations, stating that they are "without merit" and intend to defend themselves vigorously. However, the lawsuit claims that CVS had access to vast amounts of data on drug distribution, insurance claims, and clinical records, which suggests that they were well aware of the crisis. Despite this, they allegedly continued to prescribe and dispense opioids in exchange for rebates and other fees from manufacturers.
The opioid crisis has left Philadelphia reeling, with fatal overdoses peaking at around 1,400 in 2022, predominantly involving opioids like fentanyl. The city's Black and Hispanic communities have been disproportionately affected, with the crisis causing significant public health, safety, and peace disruptions.
While fatalities have decreased slightly from 2023 to 2024, preliminary data shows that most overdoses still involve opioids like fentanyl, a synthetic drug 100 times stronger than morphine. The city is seeking court-ordered corrective action programs to address the crisis, including remediation of public health services and increased support for affected communities.
In a statement, City Chief Public Safety Director Adam Geer said, "Holding those responsible who benefited from exacerbating this situation will help us continue to right this tragic wrong." The lawsuit is a major development in the ongoing fight against the opioid epidemic, with Philadelphia seeking accountability from corporations that allegedly profited from it.
The city of Philadelphia is taking big pharma and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) like CVS Health, Express Scripts, and Optum to court, alleging that they contributed to the devastating opioid crisis sweeping the nation. The lawsuit claims that these companies knowingly over-distributed powerful opioids, often referred to as "killer pills," and deliberately misled consumers to increase profits.
As the middlemen between manufacturers, insurers, and pharmacies, PBMs played a critical role in flooding communities with addictive opioids, according to Mayor Cherelle Parker. The city is seeking compensatory damages for residents who have been affected by the crisis and punitive damages against the companies that allegedly profited from it.
CVS Health has denied the allegations, stating that they are "without merit" and intend to defend themselves vigorously. However, the lawsuit claims that CVS had access to vast amounts of data on drug distribution, insurance claims, and clinical records, which suggests that they were well aware of the crisis. Despite this, they allegedly continued to prescribe and dispense opioids in exchange for rebates and other fees from manufacturers.
The opioid crisis has left Philadelphia reeling, with fatal overdoses peaking at around 1,400 in 2022, predominantly involving opioids like fentanyl. The city's Black and Hispanic communities have been disproportionately affected, with the crisis causing significant public health, safety, and peace disruptions.
While fatalities have decreased slightly from 2023 to 2024, preliminary data shows that most overdoses still involve opioids like fentanyl, a synthetic drug 100 times stronger than morphine. The city is seeking court-ordered corrective action programs to address the crisis, including remediation of public health services and increased support for affected communities.
In a statement, City Chief Public Safety Director Adam Geer said, "Holding those responsible who benefited from exacerbating this situation will help us continue to right this tragic wrong." The lawsuit is a major development in the ongoing fight against the opioid epidemic, with Philadelphia seeking accountability from corporations that allegedly profited from it.
just saw this...philly is suing CVS and other big pharma companies over opioids lol like how did we get to this point? 1400 fatal overdoses in 2022 is insane 
and it's not even like they're doing anything to stop it now. They're just trying to hold the companies accountable but I'm like what's gonna happen to them when they get sued? 
and btw how many ppl had to die before we take action? 
this lawsuit makes total sense to me - big pharma and PBMs have been raking it in off these addictive meds for years... meanwhile, communities are getting torn apart by overdoses 
it's time for them to take responsibility for their actions and help fix the problem they've created. i'm all for the city seeking compensatory damages and punitive damages - if companies knew about the crisis but just kept on profiting, that's a clear case of negligence 
... Philly's suing big pharma and PBMs? It feels like they're taking on the whole system, you know? Like, remember when we used to have those cute little corner pharmacies where everyone knew each other? Nowadays, it's all CVS and Express Scripts 
. We need real change, not just lawsuits. Can we really hold them accountable? 
. The city's Black and Hispanic communities have been hit hard by this epidemic, and it's not like anyone is doing anything to help them. I think the lawsuit is a good step in holding these companies accountable, but we need to do more than that too 
. We need to make sure that people who are struggling with addiction get the support they need, not just punitive damages. It's time for some real change 
.