Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill launched a significant legal challenge against pharmacy giant CVS on June 24th, filing three separate lawsuits. The lawsuits, filed in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, accuse CVS of engaging in unfair, deceptive, and unlawful business practices that allegedly harmed Louisiana patients, independent pharmacies, and the public.

The legal action targets CVS Health Corp, CaremarkPCS Health LLC, and their affiliates. Attorney General Murrill is seeking both injunctive relief to stop the alleged practices and restitution for damages caused.

A key allegation centers around CVS Caremark, the company’s pharmacy benefit management (PBM) unit. The lawsuit claims Caremark’s control over multiple stages of the pharmaceutical supply chain – from insurance and drug pricing to distribution and dispensing – facilitates these unfair practices. This alleged control, according to the lawsuits, allows CVS to manipulate the system to its advantage at the expense of others.

This aggressive legal move underscores growing concerns about the practices of large pharmacy benefit managers and their impact on healthcare costs and access to medication. The outcome of these lawsuits could have significant implications for the entire pharmaceutical industry.