The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a $300 million settlement with Walgreens over its role in filling invalid opioid prescriptions and making false claims to the federal government.
The government’s complaint against Walgreens alleged that between August 2012 and March 1, 2023, the pharmaceutical company filed millions of illegal opioid prescriptions.
This lawsuit alleged that Walgreens pharmacists filled these prescriptions despite knowing that there was a “high likelihood” these prescriptions lacked a medical purpose and were not issued “in the usual course of professional practice.”
Furthermore, the DOJ alleged that Walgreens “pressured its pharmacists to fill prescriptions quickly” and not verify the legality of each prescription. Additionally, Walgreens’ compliance officials allegedly disregarded evidence that its stores were distributing illegal prescriptions and failed to provide “crucial information” to its pharmacists.
Some of the information included prescribers’ internal data and disallowed pharmacists from warning each other about “problematic prescribers.”
“Pharmacies have a legal responsibility to prescribe controlled substances in a safe and professional manner, not dispense dangerous drugs just for profit,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi on Monday. “This Department of Justice is committed to ending the opioid crisis and holding bad actors accountable for their failure to protect patients from addiction.”
Americans dying from overdosing on fentanyl increased from 21,089 in 2010 to 81,806 in 2022.
In addition to this, Walgreens entered into an agreement with the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services, requiring the company to “implement and maintain certain compliance measures for the next seven years.”
The agreement states that Walgreens will require pharmacists to confirm the validity of prescriptions before dispensing them. Walgreens will also need to provide annual training on legal obligations related to controlled substances to its pharmaceutical employees. The company’s staff must be sufficient to enable employees to fulfill their legal obligations.
Moreover, Walgreens will need to create a system that blocks prescriptions for people who are seeking them illegitimately.
If Walgreens sells, merges, or transfers its company before Fiscal Year 2032, it will need to pay an additional $50 million.
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at zschmidt1717@gmail.com.
Photo “Walgreens” by Michael Rivera. CC BY-SA 4.0.
