• The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) has filed a lawsuit against Walgreens for improperly filling millions of opioid prescriptions.
• Walgreens allegedly pressured pharmacists to dispense medications without verifying their legitimacy.
• The lawsuit claims Walgreens violated the Controlled Substances Act and the False Claims Act.
• The company maintains that its practices are compliant with federal regulations and seeks clarity on pharmacy responsibilities.
• The DOJ has previously implicated CVS Health in similar opioid-related allegations.

In a significant legal move, the U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Walgreens, alleging that the pharmacy chain filled millions of illegitimate opioid prescriptions over the past decade. This lawsuit, initiated in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, accuses Walgreens of not only dispensing controlled substance prescriptions with serious "red flags" but also of pressuring pharmacists to fill these prescriptions without adequately confirming their authenticity. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Brian M. Boynton, stated, “These practices allowed millions of opioid pills and other controlled substances to flow illegally out of Walgreens stores” (Le Monde).

The complaint points out that Walgreens’ pharmacists filled prescriptions despite substantial evidence suggesting that they were being dispensed unlawfully, including information from its own internal records and feedback from pharmacists. Furthermore, it is alleged that Walgreens sought reimbursement for these prescriptions from federal healthcare programs, violating both the federal Controlled Substances Act and the False Claims Act (The Hill).

Responding to the allegations, Walgreens stated that the company stands behind its pharmacists who dispense legitimate prescriptions in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. "We will not stand by and allow the government to put our pharmacists in a no-win situation," Walgreens said. The company is asking the court for clarity regarding pharmacy responsibilities and to protect against what it terms "arbitrary rules" that lack a basis in law (AP News).

This lawsuit against Walgreens is part of a broader effort by federal prosecutors to address the ongoing opioid crisis in the United States, which has been linked to over 80,000 annual deaths in recent years. The DOJ had also filed a similar lawsuit against CVS in December, condemning them for allegedly contributing to the opioid epidemic by filling prescriptions that lacked medical legitimacy (The Hill).

Overall, this legal action underlines the critical importance of regulating how pharmacies handle controlled substances and illuminate the responsibilities of pharmacists in addressing the opioid crisis.