The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit Friday accusing Walgreens of filling millions of illegal opioid prescriptions.
A civil lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois alleges that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. and Walgreens and its various subsidiaries allege that the pharmacy giant knowingly sold a large number of controlled substances from approximately August 2012 to the present. He claims to have filled a million illegal prescriptions. According to the complaint, Walgreens allegedly filled dangerous and excessive amounts of opioid prescriptions, including premature refills, among other prescriptions.
“Our complaint alleges that Walgreens pharmacists filled millions of controlled substance prescriptions with clear red flags indicating that the prescriptions were likely illegal. “We allege that he systematically pressured people to fill prescriptions, including prescriptions for controlled substances, without taking the necessary time. Please confirm the validity of this claim,” said Brian. Chief Assistant Attorney General M. Boynton said in a statement. “These practices enabled millions of opioid pills and other controlled substances to illegally leave Walgreens stores.”
Walgreens pharmacists fill these illegal prescriptions despite obvious “red flags,” and the pharmacy giant has multiple sources of information, including its own pharmacists and internal data, that its stores are filling illegal prescriptions. The complaint alleges that it ignored substantial evidence from sources.
According to the complaint, pharmacists were pressured to fill prescriptions quickly without taking the necessary time to verify the validity of each prescription. Walgreens also deprived pharmacists of important information and prevented pharmacists from warning each other about specific prescribers.
Four whistleblowers who previously worked for Walgreens across the country filed the whistleblower lawsuit, according to a statement.
Walgreens responded to the lawsuit in a statement on its website, saying, “We support our pharmacists, who are dedicated health care professionals who live in the communities they serve, and we support our DEA-licensed prescribers. “I have a legitimate prescription for an FDA-approved drug written in accordance with all regulations.” Applicable Laws and Regulations. ”
“We look forward to the opportunity to protect the professionalism and integrity of pharmacists,” it said in a statement.
The Department of Justice filed a similar lawsuit against CVS last month, alleging that the pharmacy chain filled prescriptions with dangerous and excessive amounts of opioids, agreed to fill opioid prescriptions early, and used dangerous drug combinations. He claimed to have administered a certain “Trinity Prescription.”
Walgreens is one of the largest pharmacy chains in the United States, with more than 8,000 pharmacies across the United States. Plans to close hundreds of stores The company said it will close by the end of 2025 to rebuild sluggish sales, and has already closed about 2,000 stores over the past decade.
