On Friday, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Walgreens, alleging that the company filled millions of illegal prescriptions for opioids.
According to a civil lawsuit brought against Walgreen Boots Alliance, Walgreen Co., and its subsidiaries in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the pharmacy behemoth knowingly filled millions of illegal prescriptions for controlled substances between roughly August 2012 and the present.
According to the lawsuit, Walgreens reportedly filled prescriptions for excessive and unsafe amounts of opioids, including early refills.
“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,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division stated. “These practices allowed millions of opioid pills and other controlled substances to flow illegally out of Walgreens stores.”
The lawsuit asserts that Walgreens pharmacists filled these illegal prescriptions despite clear “red flags,” and that the pharmacy giant ignored substantial evidence from multiple sources that its stores were dispensing illegal prescriptions. This evidence included information from Walgreens’ own pharmacists as well as data from within the company.
It was said in the complaint that pharmacists were under pressure to fill prescriptions as rapidly as possible without taking the necessary time to verify the legitimacy of each prescription. In addition to this, Walgreens blocked pharmacists from communicating with one another and preventing them from receiving vital information on specific prescribers.
In the statement, it was said that four distinct whistleblowers who had previously worked for Walgreens in different parts of the country filed whistleblower actions.
It was stated on Walgreens’ website that the company stands “behind our pharmacists, dedicated healthcare professionals who live in the communities they serve, filling legitimate prescriptions for FDA-approved medications written by DEA-licensed prescribers in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.” This was Walgreens’ response to the lawsuit that was filed against the company.
“We look forward to the opportunity to defend the professionalism and integrity of our pharmacists,” according to the statement.
The Justice Department filed a similar complaint against CVS last month, alleging that the pharmacy company filled prescriptions with unsafe and excessive doses of opioids, agreed to fill opioid prescriptions early, and made “trinity prescriptions,” which are risky combinations of medicines.
The lawsuit was filed against CVS.
There are over 8,000 Walgreens pharmacies located all over the United States, making it one of the largest drugstore chains in the country. Walgreens believes that it will be able to turn around its declining revenues by closing hundreds of stores by the end of 2025.
The firm has already eliminated over 2,000 locations over the course of the last decade, according to Walmart.
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