Amidst one of the deadliest crises that continues to impact millions of Americans, the Drug Enforcement Administration has finally revoked the license of the fourth largest drug company in the nation on Thursday, who distributed an abnormal amount of painkillers at the peak of the opioid epidemic.
An investigation is being launched against Morris & Dickson Co. for their failure to acknowledge over 10,000 suspiciously large orders of addictive painkillers from 2014 to 2018. The $4 billion company has 90 days to produce enough evidence to settle the case, to which the order will then be in effect. They released a statement asserting that they have spared no cost in tightening their compliance practices and said “We remain confident we can achieve an outcome that safeguards the supply chain for all of our healthcare partners and the communities they serve”.
The DEA received three reports of suspicious activity during this four-year span of excess distribution, which were brought before a federal court in 2019. Former Office of Diversion Control employee and retired administration deputy, Louis Milione, refuted all accusations that Morris & Dickson allowed any unusual orders to be processed. Judge Charles W. Dorman’s warned the court that allowing companies to violate prescription drug abuse regulations with hardly any punishment will set a dangerous precedent.
The investigation remained unsettled while the company’s sales resumed, as the DEA blamed the pandemic for the delayed investigation into Morris & Dickson, which typically only takes up to two years. Now, four years later, the DEA is officially holding them accountable for their role in exacerbating the nationwide addiction crisis and the innumerable deaths that ensued.
The United States is currently facing the most severe drug crisis in its history, with opioids and fentanyl taking 1,500 lives every week. The over-abundant prescription and supply of opioid medication by doctors were the catalysts to the influx of addiction and death, according to researchers from the National Center for Health.
While the DEA was allowing drug companies such as Morris & Dickson to pump highly addictive pain medications into the hands of vulnerable Americans, the CDC noted a drastic increase in deaths from overdose nationwide, with military Veterans showing an alarmingly high death rate due to opioid overdose.
The Morris & Dickson case presents a harrowing catastrophe that questions the efficacy of government and Big Pharma to regulate the opioid supply chain. The company announced that they plan to continue business as usual by adamantly appealing to the court.
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