Comment on Congressional opioid investigation targets drug wholesaler Miami-Luken

By Eric Eyre A congressional committee investigating West Virginia's opioid epidemic has directed prescription drug distributor Miami-Luken to turn over documents amid allegations that the firm shipped massive amounts of powerful painkillers to the state's southern counties and failed to report "suspicious" orders from local pharmacies. On Monday, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce requested Miami-Luken provide copies of personnel records related the Ohio company's former top executive, who was stripped of duties to flag suspect pain-pill orders. The panel also wants files that detail Miami-Luken's painkiller shipments to four Southern West Virginia drugstores: Westside Pharmacy, in Oceana; Colony Drug, in Beckley; Tug Valley Pharmacy, in Williamson; and the former Sav-Rite Pharmacy, in Kermit. Miami-Luken sold prescription drugs valued at more than $3 million a year to the Kermit pharmacy over six consecutive years, bankruptcy records show.