Posted on 01/17/2025 4:42:42 PM PST by ransomnote
In a civil complaint filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Justice Department alleges that Walgreens Boots Alliance, Walgreen Co. and various subsidiaries (collectively, Walgreens) dispensed millions of unlawful prescriptions in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and then sought reimbursement for many of these prescriptions from various federal health care programs in violation the False Claims Act (FCA). Walgreens is one of the country’s largest pharmacy chains, with over 8,000 pharmacies across the United States.
“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 M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Our complaint alleges that Walgreens pharmacists filled millions of controlled substance prescriptions with clear red flags that indicated the prescriptions were highly likely to be unlawful, and that Walgreens systematically pressured its pharmacists to fill prescriptions, including controlled substance prescriptions, without taking the time needed to confirm their validity. These practices allowed millions of opioid pills and other controlled substances to flow illegally out of Walgreens stores.”
The government’s complaint alleges that, from approximately August 2012 through the present, Walgreens knowingly filled millions of prescriptions for controlled substances that lacked a legitimate medical purpose, were not valid, and/or were not issued in the usual course of professional practice. Among the millions of unlawful prescriptions that Walgreens allegedly filled were prescriptions for dangerous and excessive quantities of opioids, prescriptions for early refills of opioids and prescriptions for the especially dangerous and abused combination of drugs known as the “trinity,” which is made up of an opioid, a benzodiazepine and a muscle relaxant.
The complaint alleges that Walgreens pharmacists filled these prescriptions despite clear “red flags” that indicated that the prescriptions were highly likely to be unlawful. Walgreens allegedly ignored substantial evidence from multiple sources that its stores were dispensing unlawful prescriptions, including from its own pharmacists and internal data.
The complaint further alleges that Walgreens systematically pressured its pharmacists to fill prescriptions quickly without taking the time needed to confirm each prescription’s validity. Walgreens also allegedly deprived its pharmacists of crucial information, including by preventing pharmacists from warning one another about certain prescribers.
The complaint alleges that by knowingly filling unlawful prescriptions for controlled substances, Walgreens violated the CSA and, where Walgreens sought reimbursement from federal health care programs, also violated the FCA. The complaint alleges that Walgreens’s actions helped to fuel the prescription opioid crisis and that, in some particularly tragic instances, patients died after overdosing on opioids shortly after filling unlawful prescriptions at Walgreens. If Walgreens is found liable, it could face civil penalties of up to $80,850 for each unlawful prescription filled in violation of the CSA and treble damages and applicable penalties for each prescription paid by federal programs in violation of the FCA. The court also may award injunctive relief to prevent Walgreens from committing further CSA violations.
“As alleged in the complaint, Walgreens continually disregarded its obligations under the Controlled Substances Act and False Claims Act by illegally dispensing powerful controlled substances and unlawfully seeking reimbursement from federal health care programs,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois. “These laws are critically important in protecting our communities from the dangers of the opioid epidemic. Our office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure that opioids are properly dispensed and that taxpayer funds are only spent on legitimate pharmacy claims.”
“The damage caused by the opioid crisis continues to reverberate in the Middle District of Florida and around the country,” said U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “The filing of this civil complaint is a major step in our continued effort to confront those responsible for the harm they have done to our communities.”
“Pharmacies play a critical role in ensuring that only lawful controlled substance prescriptions are dispensed – Walgreens failed to do just that,” said U.S. Attorney Erek Barron for the District of Maryland. “We are committed to holding Walgreens accountable for its role in the opioid epidemic that has devastated communities across the country, including in Maryland.”
“This country is in the midst of a serious opioid epidemic, and New York is no exception,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Carolyn Pokorny for the Eastern District of New York. “Walgreens, which operates one of the largest pharmacy chains in the United States, including nearly 300 pharmacies in the Eastern District of New York during the relevant time period, repeatedly ignored its obligations to ensure that these drugs did not fall into the wrong hands. My office will continue to work with others in the Justice Department to combat the opioid crisis by holding pharmacies that fill unlawful prescriptions accountable.”
“Today’s announcement demonstrates that we are doubling down on our commitment to both combat the opioid crisis and enforce corporate accountability,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Maya D. Song for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We will continue to work with colleagues across the nation to confront these issues and deter pharmacies from failing to honor their obligation to ensure that these powerful drugs are provided only to those with a true medical need.”
“Walgreens and its pharmacists have an obligation to ensure that every prescription they fill is legitimate and issued responsibly. As this lawsuit alleges, Walgreens failed in this obligation, and many times ignored the red flags that warned of suspicious prescribing practices,” said DEA Principal Deputy Administrator George Papadopoulos. “Walgreens placed the public in danger by disregarding their responsibility. DEA will continue to pursue any individual or corporation that chooses profit over patient safety and we will hold them accountable.”
“Millions of Americans enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, and other public health care programs count on pharmacies to dispense drugs responsibly. When pharmacies disregard federal laws and put profits ahead of patients, they endanger Americans’ health and compromise taxpayer dollars,” said Deputy Inspector General Christian J. Schrank of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG remains diligent in pursuing entities involved in unlawful behavior that abuses the public’s trust in health care services.”
Four different whistleblowers who previously worked for Walgreens in various parts of the country filed whistleblower actions under the qui tam provisions of the FCA. Those provisions authorize private parties to sue on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in any recovery. The Act permits the United States to intervene and take over such lawsuits, as it has done here. The four cases have been consolidated and are captioned United States ex rel. Novak v. Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. No. 18 C 5452 (NDIL).
The United States’ intervention in this matter underscores the government’s commitment to combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to HHS, at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
The United States is represented in this matter by Assistant Director Amy DeLine, Senior Litigation Counsel Donald Lorenzen and Trial Attorney Nicole Frazer of the Justice Department’s Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant Director Natalie Waites and Trial Attorney Joshua Barron of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Valerie R. Raedy for the Northern District of Illinois, Chief of the Civil Division Randy Harwell and Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolyn Tapie for the Middle District of Florida, Chief of the Civil Division Thomas Corcoran for the District of Maryland, Assistant U.S. Attorney Elliot M. Schachner for the Eastern District of New York and Assistant U.S. Attorney Clare Wuerker for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Colorado and the Southern District of California, the DEA, HHS-OIG, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Defense Health Agency (DHA), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Inspector General and FBI Chicago Field Office provided substantial assistance in the investigation.
The Justice Department is committed to holding responsible those who have fueled the opioid crisis by violating the law. In March 2023, the Associate Attorney General announced the creation of the Opioid Epidemic Civil Litigation Task Force, which formalizes and enhances coordination of the department’s existing work and will consider new initiatives. Because of the scope and duration of the crisis, the Task Force includes U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, DEA and other department components. The Task Force steers the department’s civil litigation efforts involving actors alleged to have contributed to the opioid epidemic, including by diverting prescription opioids.
The claims asserted against defendants are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.
Additional information about the Fraud Section of the Civil Division and its enforcement efforts can be found at www.justice.gov/civil/fraud-section.
For information about the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, visit:
- Middle District of Florida, justice.gov/usao-mdfl;
- Northern District of Illinois, justice.gov/usao-ndil;
- District of Maryland, justice.gov/usao-md;
- Eastern District of New York, justice.gov/usao-edny; and
- Eastern District of Virginia, justice.gov/usao-edva.
For information about the federal agencies involved in this investigation and their work to combat the opioid crisis and federal health care fraud, visit:
- ;
- DHA at health.mil/About-MHS/OASDHA/Defense-Health-Agency
- ;
- OPM at opm.gov
- ; and
- DOL at dol.gov
Updated January 17, 2025
Amazon will be the next up for the legal drug trafficking biz. I wonder if this lawsuit cites anything such as oh idk Ivermectin scripts?
Is Biden getting kickbacks from CVS?
Rite Aid was on the ropes 35 years ago.
Retail can be brutal.
My aunt’s primary care doctor had a sign in his office saying he did not write opioid prescriptions.
He expected surgeons to write all necessary post-surgery prescriptions.
He wasn’t a first-class doctor overall, but he knew about drugs.
RE: Amazon for rx’s
Imagine the porch pirates waiting for the guy they know has the anti-depressants, the lady with the expensive medication
with the $2,000 a month co-pays and so on.
Old number:
In 2023, porch pirates stole over 120 million packages in the United States. This is an increase of about 1 million packages from the previous year.
“I don’t understand why Walgreens and CVS tend to locate across the street from each other.”
I went into drug stores with my mother circa 1995. The pharmacist was always busy, so busy that I would have ruled out pharmacy as a career choice.
Americans might eat a $5 meal, and take $20 worth of pills afterwards.
Pills are normally delivered in the mailbox, but my neighbor had a biological dropped by mistake at my door. I knew enough to take it to him quickly when I returned home.
RE: Pills are normally delivered in the mailbox.
The last time I heard, the Amazon drivers are not allowed to open a mailbox.
At apartment buildings the packages just go on “the porch” to wait for the pirates.
Amazon can us the last stop handoff to the US Postal Service sometimes. Not always. “Last mile delivery” disdained by he consumers who used Amazon to NOT deal with the US Postal Service.
Headline does not match content.
Content makes sense. Headline does not.
If a doctor issues a prescription, it isn’t the job of the pharmacist to question whether it’s medically necessary. That’s between the doctor and the patient. They aren’t doctors, and have no authority when it comes to deciding who needs what drugs. Besides, with the HIPPA laws, people’s health records are supposed to be private. No pharmacist has access to a person’s health records, and the DOJ isn’t medically qualified to determine if a script is necessary or not.
Total BS. The DoJ is practicing medicine. They are doing a horrible job of it.
Prescription opioids have plummeted with opioid deaths have increased. Prescription opioids are de facto illegal. Now post op patients and terminal CA patients have a lot of trouble getting opioids for pain control.
BS. Pure revenge for Walgreens closing stores in the hood.
And conveniently times to set up yet another Trump bashing narrative.
” Trump drops Walgreens case proving he hates blacks and wants them addicted to opioids and unable to fill their prescriptions in the hood.”
In all of U.S. history, I do not believe that there has ever been an administration go rogue in its closing months in the way that the Biden minions have done. The cages have been opened and the flying monkeys have been released.
Real addicts of these drugs can skirt the seeming “illegalities” by having residences, temporary or otherwise, in more than one state, with doctors in each state, and often different doctors in the same state and all while using different pharmacies - the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. I knew a guy who was taking multiple opiod pain killers daily, with prescriptions from different doctors in Kansas and Illinois that he was careful to have filled by different pharmacies for each doctor.
This is payback for closing the ghetto stores.
This is a BS case. Pharmacies do not review medical records nor determine the appropriateness of prescriptions That is the prescribing physician’s responsibility.
This case should be tossed. It is a blatant money grab. It would be interesting to see how much congress critters own in competitor’s stock.
Sounds like a nationwide pill mill. Probably the top dog is named, “Hunter”. Of course, 10% to the Big Guy.
Yes cause cvs is was the drug store of choice
Aint that right seniors here who only had that option until this year.
That's why CVS register receipts are 3 feet long - they print out dozens of coupons that, if used in the store, will bring their price down to double WalMart's price for the same item.
I am a pharmacist now retired. I had a few “hot scripts” and immediately called the doctor for verification if this was a good script. If not a good script I would tell the patient we do not have the medication to fill the whole script, but our shipment will be in shortly and come back in a couple of hours. I then called the local cop shop and asked them to come over in plains cloths and drink coffee until the perp showed up. I well remember one as he said to the cop, “I really F up. The cop said, “yes you did.”
One other was somewhat amusing. The perp took the narcotics and paid. Thus total chain of custody and and dead right guilty. I said thank you and introduced him to the officer that took him away in handcuffs.
Once I had a strange arrest. I got a hot script called in by telephone from and individual pretending it was a doctors office. I knew it was hot. I filled the script and called the cops. Oddly the mayors daughter showed up to pick up the script. She was arrested and broke into tears. I knew something was wrong. It was the mayors secretary that called in the fake script and asked the mayors daughter to pick it up. The secretary had a prior and went straight to jail for such. I called the mayor and apologized and he was understanding.
I then had enough of retail pharmacy. I went to clinical pharmacy in a hospital and used my skills for good. I was a pretty damn good hospital clinical pharmacist for 30 years.
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