Walgreens allegedly failed in its duties under the Controlled Substances Act by filling medically unnecessary prescriptions and ignoring red flags.
WASHINGTON, January 17, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Yesterday, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a complaint in intervention in four separate whistleblower lawsuits brought by whistleblowers under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and the False Claims Act (FCA) against Walgreens. One of those suits, brought by Baron & Budd, alleges that Walgreens engaged in harmful opioid dispensing practices that contributed to the ongoing opioid epidemic.
The DOJ complaint alleges that Walgreens knowingly filled millions of unlawful prescriptions for controlled substances that lacked a legitimate medical purpose, were not for a medically accepted indication, or were prescribed outside the usual course of professional practice. Due to this alleged conduct, taxpayer-funded healthcare programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare ended up covering the cost of these illegitimate prescriptions, violating the FCA and wasting federal taxpayer dollars. The complaint details how Walgreens allegedly prioritized profits over patients and flaunted its obligations under the CSA. It also contains harrowing allegations about Walgreens repeatedly filling prescriptions for known pill mill doctors and about Walgreens customers who overdosed shortly after receiving opioids from Walgreens.
DOJ’s intervention follows the Baron & Budd suit,...
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