Title: Walgreens Accused of Filling Illegal Opioid Prescriptions by U.S. Authorities
The authorities stepped in to a whistleblower lawsuit, filed in a Chicago federal court, against Walgreens. They accused the pharmacy chain of disregarding "warnings signs" and dispensing prescription medications for opioids and other controlled substances without valid medical reasons.
As per Brian Boynton, the head of the Justice Department's Civil Division, these practices allowed for the unlawful distribution of numerous opioid pills and controlled substances from Walgreens stores. In a declaration, Boynton stated that Walgreens violated the Controlled Substances Act by knowingly filling illicit prescriptions and then sought reimbursement from federal healthcare programs like Medicare for these prescriptions. This action also reportedly broke the False Claims Act regulations.
The lawsuit came after Walgreens filed a lawsuit in Tyler, Texas, federal court, challenging what it referred to as newly enforced, illegal policies from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). These policies aimed to prevent pharmacies from dispensing controlled substances for non-medically legitimate reasons.
Walgreens asserted that these "arbitrary" rules were unlawfully introduced without a proper rule-making process. According to Walgreens, they refuse to tolerate government actions that force their pharmacists into a no-win situation, aiming to comply with unauthorized regulations.
Over recent years, Walgreens and other entities associated with the pharmaceutical industry have collectively settled to pay approximately $50 billion to resolve claims related to fueling the U.S. opioid addiction epidemic. From 1999 to 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported nearly 727,000 opioid overdose-related fatalities.
The DOJ recently charged Walgreens' competitor, CVS, with filing illicit opioid prescriptions and contributing to the country's ongoing opioid addiction crisis. Furthermore, a lawsuit against Walgreens, seeking a payout of up to $5.52 billion over fifteen years, was settled in 2022 to address allegations of supporting the U.S. opioid epidemic.
Recently, Ohio's highest court overturned a $650.9 million penalty awarded to two local counties, holding Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart liable for contributing to the opioid epidemic. This was the first trial to reach a verdict nationwide over such allegations.
Walgreens' alleged violations of the Controlled Substances Act, as mentioned by Boynton, involve knowingly filling illicit prescriptions for opioids and seeking reimbursement from federal healthcare programs like Medicare. The company's business activities have been a subject of concern in several legal proceedings related to the opioid crisis.
In response to stricter regulations from the DEA, Walgreens accused them of enforcing illegal policies without proper rule-making processes, which the pharmacy chain argued placed their pharmacists in a no-win situation.
