US accuses Walgreens of filling millions of illegal prescriptions, including opioids

US Accuses Walgreens.

The Pharmacy Chain in Legal Trouble.

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The United States Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Walgreens.

Accusing the pharmacy chain of dispensing millions of controlled substance prescriptions without a legitimate purpose over the past decade, including opioids in alarming amounts.

The lawsuit, filed in a federal district court in Northern Illinois, states that Walgreens employees processed prescriptions with clear warning signs indicating their probable illegality.

According to prosecutors, the company pressured pharmacists to dispense medications without properly verifying their validity.

US Sues Pharmacy Chain Walgreens

US Accuses Walgreens and Takes Legal Action-Photo: Shutterstock

This constitutes a violation of the Controlled Substances Act and the False Claims Act.

In the legal document, Walgreens is accused of ignoring alerts from its own employees and internal data that evidenced the dispensing of illegal prescriptions of opioids.

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Moreover, the company is alleged to have obstructed its pharmacists, preventing them from sharing crucial information about suspicious prescribers.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, stated that the lawsuit aims to hold the chain accountable for years of non-compliance in regulating opioids and other drugs.

«These practices allowed millions of pills to illegally flow out of the stores,» Boynton declared.

Walgreens, with over 8,000 branches nationwide, defended its pharmacists against the lawsuit in a statement.

The company asserted that its employees adhere to the law by dispensing prescriptions authorized by licensed prescribers and approved by the FDA.

Additionally, the company described the rules the government seeks to enforce through this lawsuit as arbitrary.

Arguing that they are not supported by official laws or regulations.

Walgreens has asked the court to clearly define the responsibilities of pharmacies and pharmacists.

Meanwhile, Walgreens also reaffirmed its commitment to leading initiatives against opioid misuse.

«We will not allow the government to put our pharmacists in impossible situations, based on non-existent ‘rules’,» the company stated.

The lawsuit against Walgreens follows one filed last December against CVS, another major pharmacy chain in the United States.

CVS has denied the accusations and described the government’s narrative as false.

These actions seek to hold the companies involved in the opioid crisis accountable, which causes over 80,000 deaths annually.

Over the past decade, illicit fentanyl has become the main culprit of these deaths.

However, in previous years, prescribed pills were the primary drivers of the addiction and overdose epidemic.

The opioid crisis has prompted multi-billion-dollar settlements between drug manufacturers, wholesalers, and pharmacies.

In eight years, the settlements have allocated about 50 billion dollars to combat addiction.

Walgreens has emphasized its role in providing education and resources, as well as implementing policies to mitigate opioid abuse.

Nevertheless, the Department of Justice maintains that the company’s actions have facilitated illicit access to controlled medications, exacerbating the public health crisis.

This lawsuit against Walgreens could mark a milestone in how authorities regulate and hold large pharmacy chains accountable for their role in the opioid epidemic.

As Walgreens defends its employees, while the government seeks to prevent similar practices.

The case highlights corporate responsibility and its impact on public health during the addiction crisis.

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