McKesson Agrees to Pay Record $150 Million Settlement

McKesson Corporations, one of the nation’s largest distributors of pharmaceutical drugs, agreed to pay a record $150 million civil penalty for alleged violations of the Controlled Substances Act. Locally, this settlement resolves the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky’s and DEA London Resident Office Diversion Group’s joint investigation of McKesson’s Washington Courthouse, Ohio Distribution Center, which distributed pharmaceutical drugs to pharmacies in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. Acting US Attorney Carlton Shier said the company’s failure to report suspicious orders fueled the opioid epidemic in eastern Kentucky. As part of the settlement, McKesson’s Ohio based office is suspended from selling controlled substance for two years and the company will be monitored by an independent company to ensure compliance with the Controlled Substances Act.