1 of 2 | The Justice Department has filed a civil lawsuit against Walgreens, accusing the 124-year-old pharmacy chain of dispensing millions of unlawful prescriptions over a period of several years.
File Photo by Billie Jean Shaw/UPI
Jan. 18 (UPI) — The Justice Department has filed a civil lawsuit against Walgreens, accusing the 124-year-old pharmacy chain of dispensing millions of unlawful prescriptions over a period of several years.
The Justice Department claim was filed earlier in the week and names Illinois-based Walgreens Boots Alliance, Walgreen Co. and several of its subsidiaries.
Justice department officials claim that starting in 2012, Walgreens pharmacies wrongly filled millions of prescriptions for addictive opioid drugs and then claimed financial reimbursement for many of those prescriptions through government healthcare programs.
The complaint says the company pressured individual pharmacists to ignore warnings and fill prescriptions quickly and without checking into a patients or prescribing doctor’s background.
“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,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, who heads up the Justice Department’s Civil Division, said in the agency’s statement.
“Our complaint alleges that Walgreens pharmacists filled millions of controlled substance prescriptions with clear red flags that indicated the prescriptions were highly likely to be unlawful, and that Walgreens systematically pressured its pharmacists to fill prescriptions, including controlled substance prescriptions, without taking the time needed to confirm their validity. These practices allowed millions of opioid pills and other controlled substances to flow illegally out of Walgreens stores.”
Authorities contend Walgreens’ actions violated the False Claim Act and contributed to the rising opioid epidemic. “Any person who knowingly submits, or causes to submit, false claims to the government is liable for three times the government’s damages plus a penalty that is linked to inflation,” the legislation states.
More than 2.5 million American adults have opioid use disorder, while there were over 81,000 overdose deaths involving opioids in 2023.
The Justice Department has collectively received more than $2.9 billion in settlements or judgements related to violations of the False Claim Act.
If found liable under the CSA, Walgreens could face up to $80,850 in civil penalties per individual case involving filling an unlawful prescription.
Founded in Chicago in 1901, Walgreens and its affiliates operate over 8,000 pharmacies across the United.
“As alleged in the complaint, Walgreens continually disregarded its obligations under the Controlled Substances Act and False Claims Act by illegally dispensing powerful controlled substances and unlawfully seeking reimbursement from federal healthcare programs,” Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Morris Pasqual said in the Justice Department’s statement.
“These laws are critically important in protecting our communities from the dangers of the opioid epidemic. Our office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that opioids are properly dispensed and that taxpayer funds are only spent on legitimate pharmacy claims.”
In December, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit contending pharmacy chain CVS engaged in similar practices.