DOJ Sues Rite-Aid 4 Opioid Peddling

Joe & Merrick’s DOJ sues Rite-Aid for allegedly filling bogus opioid prescriptions ala pending state suits vs CVS, Walgreens & Wal-Mart. BUT, is this real or rinky dink “opioid accountability” to make pols look good in crisis?

The Fox Business coverage quotes the Justice Dept’s press release which insists: “Rite Aid filled hundreds of thousands of prescriptions that did not meet legal requirements … Rite Aid’s pharmacists repeatedly filled prescriptions for controlled substances with obvious red flags and Rite Aid intentionally deleted internal notes about suspicious prescribers … The Justice Dept is using every tool at our disposal to confront the opioid epidemic that is killing Americans & shattering communities across the country.”

Maybe. But, if so, why did it take so long for Justice to file charges? Was the bad PR & political heat just piling up to alarming levels? Why not also sue Rite-Aid’s competition like a number of state AGs have done? Do they really think they can make their somewhat vague “suspicious red flag” & “note deletion” allegations stick in court? Or, are they just grand-standing against a vulnerable, deep-pocketed target they know will likely cave in “settlement negotiations” ala the more than BILLION dollars already collected in “settled” actions by Oklahoma’s AG against the competition (& manufacturers)?

Davd Soul