Trial begins with Baltimore attempting to tie opioid distributors to city’s drug crisis

Attorneys for the city of Baltimore argued that two opioid distributors failed to meet their responsibility to monitor, report and prevent drugs from going to pharmacies that dispensed suspicious amounts of opioids on Wednesday.

The highly anticipated lawsuit pits the city against McKesson and AmerisourceBergen, two companies that have distributed approximately 320 million oxycodone pills in the city, accounting for about 60 percent of the drugs shipped into the area.

McKesson and Amerisource are the only companies left standing, after six other companies, including Walgreens, Cardinal Health, CVS and others, settled out of court.

City attorneys, led by Bill Carmody, a partner at Susman Godfrey, argued to a jury in Baltimore City Court that the businesses ignored warnings from the Drug Enforcement Agency, arguing that even one out-of-compliance pharmacy could pose a grave danger to the community.

The lawyers alleged that the companies intentionally failed to report pharmacies that overdispensed opioids and even worked with the pharmacies to circumvent the law and fill as many prescriptions as possible without causing problems.

Lawyers for the city allege that the flood of opioid prescriptions, poorly regulated distribution and lack of oversight have led to a disproportionate number of Baltimore residents becoming addicted to the drug, and they allege that it accounts for as much as 80 percent of the city’s opioid addictions.

According to the lawyers, this led to an increase in the number of overdoses and a strain on the city’s resources.

McKesson and Amerisource claim that they acted merely as intermediaries in this situation.

According to Robert Nicholas, chief counsel at Amerisource and a partner at Reed Smith, the city’s lawsuit is purely about money and the company has complied with the Drug Enforcement Agency’s demands.

The companies’ lawyers attempted to blame the opioid epidemic on drug cartels and gangs that sell illegal drugs, and on doctors who overprescribe legal opioids.

The lawyers argued that the companies were not responsible for deciding whether someone needed opioids or not, but that it was up to the doctor to decide.

The attorneys also argued that the Drug Enforcement Agency was aware of all the drugs being moved and therefore should have been better informed about the problems.

In 2022 Nicholas is successful defended Amerisource in a case involving West Virginia distributors attempting to tie them to the opioid crisis.

However, the DEA has questioned some of the companies’ claims.

For example, McKesson was fined in 2008 for continuing to sell opioids to fulfill suspicious orders to pharmacies.

The DEA whistleblowers said the rules changed Through lobbyists to allow companies to regulate themselves and that the DEA did not have the resources to oversee the millions of orders that were placed.

Between 2014 and 2016, the two companies spent nearly $7 million lobbying for bills aimed at deregulation.

McKesson has already allowed guilt in the previous cases.

Seven years ago, McKesson settled a case with the U.S. Department of Justice.

In the settlement, the company acknowledged that it failed to properly report suspicious drug orders and failed to take preventive measures to prevent drug diversion.

The city is using that evidence in the case.

To date, Baltimore has received $402.5 million from five different companies in opioid settlements.

The city also organized with Johnson & Johnson earlier this week, but the terms are still secret.

If the city, McKesson and Amerisource do not reach a settlement, the lawsuit could drag on until November.