The state of Kentucky recently filed a lawsuit against Walgreens, alleging that the pharmacy contributed to the state’s high rates of prescription drug overdose.

On May 14, Kentucky’s Attorney General Andy Beshear announced that the state had filed a lawsuit against Walgreens, accusing the pharmacy of irresponsibly filling prescriptions which led to prescription drug overdose.

“While Walgreens’ slogan was ‘at the corner of happy and healthy’, they have significantly harmed the health of our families in fueling the opioid epidemic,” Attorney General Beshear stated, according to NPR. “While the pain of addiction and loss of a loved one may never heal, I want to make sure these billion dollar companies take responsibility and become a part of the solution.”

Walgreens operates 70 locations in Kentucky and is the second largest pharmacy in the United States. The pharmacy allegedly made $33 billion in sales during the second quarter this year, making it an extremely profitable company. However, Beshear claims that this success may have been at the expense of Kentucky residents.

The lawsuit claims that Walgreens violated its own internal safety regulations and filled orders “for such large quantities of prescription narcotic pain medication that there could be no associated legitimate medical purpose for their use.” This practice allegedly harmed Kentucky residents while turning a large profit for Walgreens.

Prescription drug overdose is a prevalent problem in Kentucky, with the CDC reporting over a thousand overdose deaths each year since 2014. To combat the nationwide increase in prescription drug overdose, pharmacies are required to report suspicious fillings to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Suspicious prescriptions include orders for large quantities of controlled drugs, orders where a consumer has traveled a long distance to fill, orders prescribed by unrelated doctors, and more.

The Kentucky prescription drug overdose lawsuit seeks to bar Walgreens from over-filling opioid orders or suspicious orders. The complaint also seeks financial damages for the money spent by the state to combat prescription drug abuse.

Beshear has now filed five lawsuits related to the state’s prescription drug overdose problem. Other lawsuit have been filed against drug makers and distributors in attempt to remedy the damage Kentucky has sustained due to high prescription drug overdose rates.

Outside of Kentucky, many states have filed similar lawsuits to combat the growing opioid crisis gripping America. Florida filed a lawsuit against numerous manufacturers and drug makers last month. Delaware filed a prescription drug overdose lawsuit in January, naming CVS, Walgreens, and other parties. In Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation has also filed legal action against drug makers, accusing them of supplying tribal lands with opioids.

In response to the mounting legal efforts of states, many pharmacy retailers have implemented new systems and regulations designed to prevent irresponsible filling of drug which may lead to prescription drug overdose. Walmart has instituted a 7-day limit on painkiller prescriptions and limited daily doses so that they are no stronger than 50 milligrams of morphine. Walmart’s new policy changes follow a similar CVS change which was implemented in February.

Walgreens has not yet released a statement to the media for comment on the pending prescription drug overdose lawsuit.

In general, opioid overdose death lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.

If your loved died from an opioid overdose in the last three years from an addiction that began as a legal opioid prescription from his or her doctor, you may have a legal claim. Get help now by filling out the form on this page for a FREE case evaluation.

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