Florida Adds Walgreens, CVS to Opioid Lawsuit

Florida has added CVS and Walgreens to its lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, the state’s Attorney General Pam Bondi announced.

The two pharmacy chains join several drugmakers, including Purdue, Endo, Johnson & Johnson, Teva, Allergan and McKesson. The initial lawsuit accused the drugmakers and distributors of contributing to the opioid crisis through tactics frequently named in opioid litigation, including disseminating false claims about their safety and potential for addiction and dismissing symptoms of addiction as “pseudoaddiction” that indicated undertreatment.

In the newly amended complaint, Bondi’s office also claims CVS and Walgreens sold and shipped opioids to the Sunshine State in quantities they knew were suspicious and to pharmacies they knew were raising red flags for diversion. The companies also dispensed suspicious quantities from their own Florida retail pharmacies.