DOJ sues CVS, alleging pharmacy filled ‘unlawful’ prescriptions and contributed to opioid crisis

CVS pharmacy and Walgreens store signs. Photos: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

The Justice Department (DOJ) alleges that CVS Pharmacy filled “unlawful” prescriptions, in violation of the federal the Controlled Substances Act, in a whistleblower lawsuit brought by a former CVS employee in intervention with a DOJ civil complaint newly unsealed yesterday in Providence, Rhode Island.

The complaint also alleges CVS, which is the country’s largest pharmacy chain with more than 9,000 pharmacies across the United States, sought reimbursement from federal health care programs for unlawful prescriptions in violation of the False Claims Act (FCA). Whistleblower Hillary Estright filed an action on Oct. 17, 2019, under the FCA, which authorizes private parties to sue on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in any recovery.