Cardinal Health is being sued for contributing to Kentucky’s opioid epidemic that claimed more than 14-hundred lives last year.
The Ohio-based drug company is the latest national distributor of pain pills facing a lawsuit from Attorney General Andy Beshear.
"According to Cardinal Health's second quarter results for fiscal year 2018, they reported revenue, just for their pharmaceutical segment, of $31.1 billion." Beshear said.
Beshear said Cardinal Health distributed excessive amounts of painkillers to rural counties in eastern Kentucky.
"Federal and state law require pharmaceutical distributors to monitor and report to law enforcement when it ships large or suspicious amounts of opioids to a state or region, but Cardinal didn't do that." Beshear said.
The Kentucky AG’s office has filed similar lawsuits against McKesson Corporation and Endo Pharmaceuticals, alleging the drug companies play a role in opioid-related overdoses and deaths in the bluegrass state.
Funds from any settlements or convictions in court would go toward drug prevention and treatment efforts.
