Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes has filed a lawsuit against UnitedHealth Group and its subsidiary OptumRx, along with Express Scripts, alleging their significant role in fueling the opioid epidemic. The lawsuit contends that these powerful pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) played a crucial role in the overprescription of opioids, contributing to a public health crisis that has devastated communities across the United States.
The lawsuit alleges that these PBMs, through their control over prescription drug coverage, significantly increased the volume of opioid prescriptions dispensed in Utah. Despite possessing vast amounts of data that could have alerted them to the growing risk of opioid overdose, including information on prescription patterns, prescriber behavior, and patient demographics, the companies allegedly failed to take adequate measures to prevent the overprescription of these highly addictive medications.
The lawsuit argues that these companies prioritized profits over patient safety by incentivizing the dispensing of large quantities of opioids, while simultaneously neglecting to implement adequate safeguards to prevent the diversion and misuse of these medications.
This legal action follows a similar lawsuit filed by the state against Kroger, which was recently settled. Utah has been actively pursuing legal avenues to hold accountable entities that contributed to the opioid crisis, which has had a devastating impact on the state’s population.
The opioid epidemic has resulted in a staggering number of overdose deaths across the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of overdose deaths involving opioids has increased dramatically in recent decades, reaching a tenfold increase compared to 1999.
This lawsuit underscores the serious public health crisis caused by the opioid epidemic and highlights the ongoing efforts by state and federal authorities to hold accountable those who may have contributed to this crisis.