CHARLESTON, W.Va. — State attorney general J.B. McCuskey Monday announced that he has filed a lawsuit against United Healthcare’s pharmacy benefit manager Optum for their role in West Virginia’s opioid crisis.
The suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.
McCuskey alleges that Optum, which is one of the largest PBMs, contributed to the widespread oversupply of opioids in the state. He says his investigation show that Optum “ramped up the flood of pills coming into West Virginia and actively obstructed safeguards meant to save lives.”
He went on to say that Optum conspired with drug manufactures to “push phony science claiming opioids were safe and non-addictive.”
McCuskey released a statement Monday saying Optum knew what it was doing.
“Optum played a key role in the man-made medical crisis that destroyed countless lives and decimated our state. When Optum came into West Virginia around 2010, it knew the toll that opioids were exacting on West Virginia families and communities. We called it a crisis. Optum saw a business opportunity. And in its greed, Optum chose to make things worse. It is time that Optum, whose critical role was previously unknown, is held accountable,” the statement read.
This marks the second suit McCuskey has filed against a large PBM in connection with the state’s opioid crisis. A suit was filed against Express Scripts by McCuskey in August.