DOJ sues one of the largest pharmaceutical companies for its role in the "opioid epidemic"

On Thursday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a civil lawsuit against drug distributor AmerisourceBergen for allegedly contributing to the opioid crisis.

According to the attorneys general, the pharmaceutical company violated laws by failing to alert the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) about suspicious orders.

The lawsuit alleges that, since 2014, both AmerisourceBergen and two of its subsidiaries have failed to report opioid purchases that were being diverted to illegal channels.

While not noting whether it was negligent or intentional, they highlight several important examples of suspicious orders, such as pharmacies in Florida and West Virginia that were selling drugs to potential addicts "in parking lots" for cash.

The company also allegedly sold oxycodone tablets to a Colorado pharmacy that supplied drugs to eleven people identified as addicts who later died of overdoses.

"In the midst of a catastrophic opioid epidemic, AmerisourceBergen allegedly altered its internal systems in a way that reduced the number of orders that would be syndicated as suspicious," said Attorney General Vanita Gupta, highlighting that the company prioritized profits over the welfare of citizens.

Billions in penalties

According to The Epoch Times, the lawsuit against the drug distributor seeks penalties that could reach into the billions, as well as an injunction against future violations of the National Controlled Substances Act.

"The company’s repeated and systemic failure to fulfill this simple obligation helped ignite an opioid epidemic that has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths over the past decade," said a statement from DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.

AmerisourceBergen seeks agreement

The pharmaceutical company has reportedly already proposed to pay $6.1 billion to the states to settle the lawsuits, according to the Department of Justice itself.