DOJ sues Walgreens, alleging it 'knowingly' filled millions of prescriptions that lacked legit medical purposes
The Department of Justice said Friday that it sued pharmacy giant Walgreens over allegedly dispensing millions of unlawful prescriptions.
The Department of Justice said Friday that it sued pharmacy giant Walgreens over allegedly dispensing millions of unlawful prescriptions.
The DOJ said that Walgreens from August 2012 until the present “knowingly” filled those prescriptions, which “lacked a legitimate medical purpose, were not valid, and/or were not issued in the usual course of professional practice.”
“This lawsuit seeks to hold Walgreens accountable for the many years that it failed to meet its obligations when dispensing dangerous opioids and other drugs,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the DOJ’s Civil Division.
Boynton said that Walgreens pharmacists filled millions of prescriptions with “clear red flags that indicated the prescriptions were highly likely to be unlawful.”
The company “systematically pressured its pharmacists to fill prescriptions, including controlled substance prescriptions, without taking the time needed to confirm their validity,” Boynton said. “These practices allowed millions of opioid pills and other controlled substances to flow illegally out of Walgreens stores.”
Rating: 5