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AmerisourceBergen sued for fueling prescription opioid epidemic

AmerisourceBergen sued for fueling prescription opioid epidemic
AmerisourceBergen sued for fueling prescription opioid epidemic 00:50

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. (CBS) – The Justice Department is suing a Conshohocken company for fueling the prescription opioid epidemic. The lawsuit claims AmerisourceBergen and two of its subsidiaries ignored red flags suggesting several pharmacies were diverting opioids to illicit markets.

AmerisourceBergen is one of the nation's largest wholesale distributors of prescription drugs.

The company responded to the lawsuit with a statement, saying:

AmerisourceBergen verified DEA registration and State Board of Pharmacy licenses before filling any orders, conducted extensive due diligence into these customers … and reported every sale of every controlled substances to the DEA, and reported suspicious orders of controlled substances to the DEA. for every one of these pharmacies.

AmerisourceBergen could be required to pay billions of dollars in penalties if found liable.

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