DEERFIELD, Illinois (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Walgreens, alleging that the pharmacy chain filled millions of prescriptions over the last decade without a legitimate purpose, including for dangerous amounts of opioids. According to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Walgreens pharmacists filled controlled substance prescriptions with clear red flags indicating they were likely unlawful. The lawsuit also claims that Walgreens pressured pharmacists to fill prescriptions without verifying their validity.
The complaint accuses Walgreens of violating the federal Controlled Substances Act by filling “unlawful” prescriptions and seeking reimbursement from federal health care programs in violation of the False Claims Act. Walgreens, which operates over 8,000 locations and is one of the largest pharmacy chains in the country, defended its pharmacists in a statement, stating that they fill legitimate prescriptions for FDA-approved medications written by DEA-licensed prescribers in compliance with all laws and regulations.
Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that Walgreens ignored evidence, including reports from its own pharmacists and internal data, indicating that stores were dispensing unlawful prescriptions. The company is also accused of withholding crucial information from pharmacists, such as preventing them from warning each other about specific prescribers.
In response to the lawsuit, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division stated, “This lawsuit seeks to hold Walgreens accountable for the many years that it failed to meet its obligations when dispensing dangerous opioids and other drugs.” Walgreens has contested the allegations, arguing that the government is attempting to enforce arbitrary rules that are not supported by law or regulation.
The DOJ previously filed a similar lawsuit against CVS in December, which the chain vehemently denies. Federal prosecutors have been targeting companies in efforts to address their alleged roles in the U.S. addiction and overdose crisis, with opioids contributing to over 80,000 annual deaths in recent years. The crisis has shifted from prescription pills being the primary cause of deaths to illicit fentanyl in illegal drugs.
In the past eight years, drugmakers, wholesalers, and pharmacies have reached settlements totaling approximately $50 billion with governments to combat the crisis.
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