DOJ sues Walgreens for allegedly filling millions of illegal prescriptions, despite ‘clear red flags’

Walgreens pharmacy in Baltimore, MD. August 11, 2020. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

It was last month that the Department of Justice sued CVS Pharmacy for filling unlawful prescriptions and contributed to the opioid crisis. Now, the DOJ has filed a similar lawsuit against Walgreens. The pharmacy chain, with over 8,000 pharmacies across the United States, is accused of allegedly filling millions of prescriptions for controlled substances despite clear red flags they were illegal, helping fuel the deadly opioid crisis in the U.S.

In December, the DOJ filed suit against CVS Health, accusing its pharmacies of unlawfully dispensing opioids and other controlled substances, in violation of the Controlled Substances Act and the False Claims Act. CVS denied the allegations. In addition, both CVS and Walgreens agreed two years ago to pay $17.3 billion in opioid settlements in various states over a 15-year span.