Walgreens played ‘substantial’ role in San Francisco opioid crisis, judge finds

The pharmacy chain failed to properly investigate suspicious opioid orders, according to federal ruling

Walgreens substantially contributed" to San Francisco's opioid epidemic by failing to perform due diligence on prescriptions that flooded into the city for 15 years, a federal judge has found.

The city won what local media has called a landmark trial" against Walgreens, with the judge, Charles Breyer, finding that the pharmacy chain had failed to properly investigate suspicious opioid orders, dispensing large volumes of medically illegitimate opioid prescriptions that were diverted for illicit use".