By Dietrich Knauth

(Reuters] – Walgreens Boots Alliance (NASDAQ) and other defendants claimed Tuesday they weren’t to blame for San Francisco’s opioid crisis. They also said that they acted responsible when providing pain relief medication.

In opening statements at a San Francisco Federal Court trial, Walgreens lawyer Kate Swift stated that “almost all of these prescriptions were made by good, well-meaning physicians.” It is appropriate that good pharmacists fill those prescriptions.

The Monday-launched trial is the first that targets drug manufacturers, distributors, and pharmacies in the battle for addictive pain medicine.

San Francisco has charged Walgreens with a crime against Teva Pharmaceutical Industry (NYSE:) Ltd. AbbVie Inc Teva’s Allergan unit (NYSE:), and Anda Inc (NYSE:), are accused of creating a public nuisance by inundating the city with prescription painkillers and failing to protect the drugs from being illegally diverted.

On Monday, the San Francisco attorney stated during opening remarks that it was all the fault of prescription drug companies for expanding recklessly the market for painkillers.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the opioid crisis has impacted San Francisco hard. It has led to more than 500,000 deaths from overdoses in America during the last two decades. According to the lawsuit, 25% of all emergency room visits are now due to opioid-related issues.

Teva and Allergan, drugmakers, said Tuesday they had been minor participants in the crisis as compared with companies such as Purdue Pharma and wealthy Sackler families that now own the bankrupt company.

Collie James of Teva, an attorney representing the company and its affiliates said that “this crisis is traced back to Purdue Pharma” and the Sackler families and their pursuit for profits.

James said that Teva’s opioid brand drugs Actiq, and Fentora made by Cephalon were “a barely perceptible dip on the San Francisco market for opioids,” James explained.

Hariklia Karis, an Allergan lawyer, made similar arguments regarding Allergan’s brand opioids Kadian and Norco.

Karis claimed that Kadian had made no impact on this market. “Norco didn’t move the market.”

Purdue is owned by the Sackler Family. They claim they were lawful, and “regret” having its OxyContin widely-prescribed “unexpectedly become part of an opioid epidemic.”

San Francisco’s lawsuit, filed in 2018, initially included claims against drugmakers Purdue Pharma LP, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:) and Endo International (NASDAQ:) Plc, and the three largest U.S. drug distributors – McKesson Corp (NYSE:), Cardinal Health Inc (NYSE 🙂 and AmerisourceBergen Corp (NYSE 🙂 These defendants were previously settled by the city before trial.

It was among more than 3000 cases brought by states and localities in the wake of the U.S. prescription opioid crisis.

J&J and the three large distributors agreed to a $26 billion nationwide settlement of opioid claims against them, which California and San Francisco joined. Many of these lawsuits will be filed against drugmakers, distributors, and pharmacies.