Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has filed a lawsuit against pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts Inc. and Optum Inc., along with their subsidiaries, accusing them of contributing to the opioid crisis in the state. Pharmacy benefit managers play a crucial role in overseeing prescription drug coverage for large clients such as health insurers and employers, influencing which drugs are included in coverage and where patients can fill their prescriptions.
The lawsuit alleges that the companies profited from the opioid crisis by negotiating favorable deals with opioid manufacturers and failing to take adequate measures to curb excessive opioid prescriptions. According to the lawsuit, opioids were the most commonly prescribed controlled substances in Arkansas in 2022, with the state having the second-highest opioid prescribing rate in the nation that year.
Optum has stated that it has implemented initiatives to combat the opioid epidemic and intends to defend itself against the lawsuit, emphasizing that it did not cause or exacerbate the crisis. Express Scripts has not yet responded to requests for comment.
State and local governments across the country have filed numerous lawsuits related to the opioid crisis, targeting various entities in the pharmaceutical supply chain. Settlements totaling over $50 billion have been proposed and finalized, with a significant portion allocated to addressing the impact of the crisis.
Opioid overdoses have been linked to approximately 80,000 deaths annually in the United States, with fentanyl and other potent drugs increasingly contributing to fatalities. The legal actions against pharmacy benefit managers may signal a new phase in holding stakeholders accountable for their roles in the opioid epidemic.
