Who Will DO Time? –
November 27, 2019 – Teva, for example, reported that it received an April subpoena from the Justice Department for “documents relating to the manufacture, marketing and sale of opioids.” In August 2019, the company received a grand jury subpoena from Brooklyn prosecutors for material on how it distributes opioid medications and prevents narcotics from being diverted for illegal use.
Teva said it understands the requests are “part of a broader investigation into manufacturers’ and distributors’ monitoring programs and reporting under the Controlled Substances Act,” the federal law that spells out drug companies’ responsibility to police the billions of prescription narcotics in circulation.
Similarly, McKesson, the largest wholesale distributor of drugs in the United States, reported that it received grand jury subpoenas in April and June from the same prosecutors “seeking documents related to the company’s anti-diversion policies and procedures and its distribution” of prescription opioids. It, too, described the demands as “part of a broader investigation by that office into pharmaceutical manufacturers’ and distributors’ compliance with the Controlled Substances Act and related statutes.”
