• Posted December 19, 2024

DOJ Alleges CVS Facilitated Unlawful Sales, Violating Federal Opioid Regulations

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a civil complaint against CVS Pharmacy Inc., accusing the nation’s largest pharmacy chain of unlawfully filling prescriptions for highly addictive opioids and violating federal health care laws.

According to a news release published Dec. 18, 2024, the complaint also accuses CVS of seeking reimbursement for these prescriptions from federal health care programs, violating the False Claims Act.

The DOJ also claimed CVS pharmacies filled prescriptions for excessive and dangerous quantities of opioids, early refills, and so-called “trinity” prescriptions -- a high-risk combination of an opioid, a benzodiazepine, and a muscle relaxant.

What's more, prosecutors allege that the pharmacy chain also dispensed prescriptions from prescribers engaged in “pill mill” practices, which involves issuing large numbers of controlled substance prescriptions without legitimate medical reasoning.

The complaint asserts that CVS ignored multiple warnings from pharmacists and internal data about these unlawful practices.

“This lawsuit alleges that CVS failed to exercise its critical role as gatekeeper of dangerous prescription opioids and, instead, facilitated the illegal proliferation of these highly addictive drugs," U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha for the District of Rhode Island said in the release.

CVS, the nation’s largest pharmacy chain with over 9,000 locations, has denied the allegations.

A company representative said that CVS has cooperated with the DOJ’s investigation for more than four years.

Amy Thibault, CVS’s director of external communications, also emphasized that all prescriptions were FDA-approved and written by licensed practitioners authorized to prescribe controlled substances.

“We will defend ourselves vigorously against this misguided federal lawsuit, which follows on the heels of years of litigation over these issues by state and local governments -- claims that already have been largely resolved by a global agreement with the participating state Attorneys General,” Thibault added.

The lawsuit is part of ongoing federal efforts to hold corporations accountable for their role in fueling the U.S. opioid crisis, the release shows.

The epidemic, which initially surged due to prescription opioids, has shifted toward illicit fentanyl, now linked to the majority of opioid-related deaths.

According to the release, in recent years, more than 80,000 Americans annually have died from opioid overdoses.

If CVS is found liable, the company could face significant civil penalties for each unlawful prescription filled, as well as damages for prescriptions reimbursed by federal programs.

More information

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has more on the national opioids crisis.

SOURCE: ABC News, news release, Dec. 18, 2024