Express Scripts Gets Partial Win in West Virginia Opioid Suit

Express Scripts Inc. and OptumRx Inc. notched a partial victory over cities and counties in West Virginia in a case alleging they played a central role in the opioid epidemic, according a federal court ruling.

Pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts and OptumRx were able to get Judge John Preston Bailey of the US District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia to dismiss a claim that they violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act by carrying out a fraudulent scheme of dispensing opioids to maximize profits for themselves and drug manufacturers.

At issue before the court was whether ...