Federal Judge Says McKesson, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health Not Responsible For Opioid Epidemic: Report

Federal judge David Faber rejected the efforts to force McKesson Corp MCK, AmerisourceBergen Corp ABC, and Cardinal Health Inc CAH to pay $2.5 billion for the opioid crisis.
The judge ruled that the drug distributors are not responsible for fueling an opioid epidemic in a part of West Virginia, Reuters reported.
Faber said the companies did not cause any oversupply of opioids, saying doctors' "good faith" prescribing decisions drove the volume of painkillers they shipped to pharmacies.
Related: Washington, Drug Distributors Reach $518M Settlement For Opioid Claims.
While the companies from 2006 to 2014 shipped 51.3 million opioid pills to retail pharmacies in the communities, "there is nothing unreasonable about distributing controlled substances to fulfill legally written prescriptions," Faber wrote.
In a statement, Steve Williams, Huntington's mayor, called the decision "a blow to our city and community."
The companies welcomed the ruling.
Cardinal Health and McKesson, in separate statements, said the distributors had maintained systems to prevent the diversion of opioids to illicit channels.
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