Justice Division lawsuit accuses Walgreens of filling thousands and thousands of illegal opioid prescriptions
The U.S. Division of Justice filed a lawsuit on Friday accusing Walgreens of filling thousands and thousands of illegal opioid prescriptions.
The civil go well with filed within the U.S. District Court docket for the Northern District of Illinois Walgreen Boots Alliance, Walgreen Co. and its varied subsidiaries alleges the pharmacy big knowingly stuffed thousands and thousands of illegal prescriptions for managed substances from roughly August 2012 via to the current. Walgreens allegedly stuffed prescriptions for harmful and extreme portions of opioids, the lawsuit stated, together with early refills amongst different prescriptions.
“Our criticism alleges that Walgreens pharmacists stuffed thousands and thousands of managed substance prescriptions with clear pink flags that indicated the prescriptions had been extremely prone to be illegal, and that Walgreens systematically pressured its pharmacists to fill prescriptions, together with managed substance prescriptions, with out taking the time wanted to substantiate their validity,” Principal Deputy Assistant Legal professional Normal Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Division’s Civil Division stated in an announcement. “These practices allowed thousands and thousands of opioid capsules and different managed substances to move illegally out of Walgreens shops.”
Walgreens pharmacists stuffed these illegal prescriptions regardless of clear “pink flags,” the criticism alleges, and the pharmacy big ignored substantial proof from a number of sources that its shops had been meting out illegal prescriptions, together with from its personal pharmacists and inner information, the go well with claims.
Pharmacists had been pressured to fill prescriptions shortly with out taking the time wanted to substantiate every prescription’s validity, the criticism stated. Walgreens additionally disadvantaged pharmacists of essential info and prevented them from warning each other about sure prescribers.
4 totally different whistleblowers who beforehand labored for Walgreens in varied elements of the nation filed whistleblower actions, the assertion stated.
Walgreens responded to the lawsuit in an announcement on its web site which learn that it stands “behind our pharmacists, devoted healthcare professionals who dwell within the communities they serve, filling respectable prescriptions for FDA-approved drugs written by DEA-licensed prescribers in accordance with all relevant legal guidelines and rules.”
“We look ahead to the chance to defend the professionalism and integrity of our pharmacists,” the assertion stated.
Final month the Justice Division filed the same lawsuit in opposition to CVS, alleging the pharmacy chain stuffed prescriptions with harmful and extreme portions of opioids, agreed to fill opioid prescriptions early and made “trinity prescriptions,” that are a harmful mixture of medication.
Walgreens is likely one of the nation’s largest pharmacy chains, with over 8,000 pharmacies throughout the U.S. Walgreens plans to shut a whole bunch of shops by the tip of 2025 to show round its flagging gross sales, and has already closed roughly 2,000 places over the previous decade, the corporate stated.
