Deerfield, Illinois– The U.S. Department of Justice accuses Walgreens of filling millions of prescriptions in the past decade and more without a legitimate purpose, including dangerous amounts of opioids, according to a lawsuit filed this week.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, says the drugstore chain’s pharmacists filled prescriptions for controlled substances with clear red flags that indicated they were very likely illegal. Walgreens also systematically pressured pharmacists to fill prescriptions without taking the time to verify their authenticity, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit says Walgreens filled “illegal” prescriptions in violation of the federal Controlled Substances Act and sought reimbursement from federal health care programs for them in violation of the False Claims Act.
Walgreens, one of the nation’s largest pharmacy chains, with more than 8,000 locations, said in a statement that it supports its pharmacists. They say they fill legitimate prescriptions for FDA-approved medications written by DEA-licensed prescribers in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations, she said.
Walgreens was also accused of ignoring evidence, including from its pharmacists and internal data, that the stores were dispensing illegal prescriptions, according to the complaint. In addition, it allegedly deprived pharmacists of important information, including by preventing them from warning each other about certain prescriptions.
“This lawsuit seeks to hold Walgreens accountable for the many years it has failed to meet its obligations when distributing dangerous opioids and other drugs,” Brian M. Boynton, chief deputy assistant attorney general and head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, said in a statement. . “These practices have allowed millions of opioid pills and other controlled substances to illegally flow out of Walgreens stores.”
The company said it is asking the court to clarify the responsibilities of pharmacies and pharmacists and protect against the government’s attempt to impose arbitrary “rules” that do not appear in any law or regulation and have never been subject to any formal rule-making process.
“We will not stand idly by and allow the government to put our pharmacists in a no-win situation in an attempt to comply with ‘rules’ that simply do not exist,” Walgreens said in the statement.
The company also said it has been a leader in providing education and resources, as well as implementing best-in-class policies and procedures to help combat opioid abuse.
Ministry of Justice A similar lawsuit was filed against CVS In December. A spokesman for that chain said he strongly disagreed with the allegations and what he called the “false narrative” in the complaint.
Federal prosecutors are trying to hold the companies accountable for their alleged roles in the addiction and overdose crisis in the United States, where opioids are linked to more than 80,000 annual deaths in some recent years.
Over the past decade, most of these deaths have been attributed to illicit fentanyl, which is an ingredient in many illicit drugs. Medical pills were the main reason earlier.
Over the past eight years, drug manufacturers, wholesalers, and pharmacies have agreed to nearly $50 billion in settlements with governments, with the majority of the money going toward… Fighting the crisis.