October 15, 2026 – CVS Pharmacy Inc., a Rhode Island-based pharmacy chain, and its related corporate entities (collectively, CVS) have agreed to pay $315 million to resolve allegations that, from October 17, 2013 through
December 2, 2025, CVS illegally filled prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), and then sought payment for many of those invalid prescriptions from Medicare and other federal healthcare programs in violation of the False Claims Act (FCA).
Image by Ray Shrewsberry • Ray_Shrewsberry from Pixabay
“Not only does this settlement hold bad actors accountable for their fraudulent activities, but Americans are safer because of it,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. “Today’s settlement is a significant milestone in the Justice Department’s efforts to combat the opioid epidemic by cracking down on pharmacies who unlawfully fulfill prescriptions for controlled substances.”
“Today’s settlement requires CVS to implement additional safeguards to ensure that prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances are dispensed only when medically appropriate,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The remedial measures in this agreement — including proactive monitoring of opioid prescribing patterns — will provide critical protections for patients and federal healthcare programs. The Department of Justice will continue to...
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