How Much Are Humans Worth? – 

February 14, 2020 –  A mountain of evidence has been released in the last decade supporting allegations that Big Pharma flooded the market with opioid painkillers while downplaying about how addictive they were.

Much of the evidence has come through corporate documents obtained through the discovery process in lawsuits such as the one filed by the city of Winchester on Wednesday in Winchester Circuit Court against 49 pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers and retailers. The suit seeks $50 million in compensatory damages and $17.1 million in punitive damages … The suit essentially says the companies put profits before people in creating the epidemic, which it describes as “indiscriminate and ruthless.” It accuses the companies of “unjust enrichment” through civil conspiracies, fraud and willful and wanton negligence.

“The manufacturers make the opioids and lie about their efficacy and addictive properties. The wholesalers distribute the opioids from the point of manufacture to the point of delivery to the patient,” said the suit filed by Sanford, Heisler, Sharp, The Cicala Law Firm and Kaufman & Canoles P.C. “The pharmacy benefit managers control, through their pharmacy plan design and formulary management, which drugs go where and how they are paid for. And the retail pharmacies serve as the final link in the chain by releasing the opioids into the public.”

@WinchesterStar