Walgreens has agreed to a $300 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) following allegations of dispensing millions of invalid opioid and other drug prescriptions during a critical period of the opioid crisis. The lawsuit, which involved multiple agencies and prosecutors nationwide, including those in Florida, alleged that Walgreens filled these prescriptions despite legal obligations to dispense controlled substances responsibly and professionally.
The DOJ emphasized its commitment to addressing the opioid epidemic and holding accountable those who failed to protect patients from addiction. The lawsuit accused Walgreens of filling invalid prescriptions from August 2012 to March 2023, despite acknowledging previous non-compliance with the Controlled Substances Act. The company had already settled with the DOJ and the Drug Enforcement Administration in 2013 regarding similar issues.
It was further alleged that Walgreens filed false claims with federal healthcare programs, including Medicare, seeking reimbursement for these prescriptions. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Florida participated in the case, highlighting the significance of this settlement as the largest resolution under the Controlled Substances Act in the district’s history.
The DOJ also took over four whistleblower cases filed by former Walgreens employees, one of which originated in Central Florida. Another was filed in the Southern District of Florida by Elmer Mosley, a retired Walgreens employee with 42 years in the pharmacy industry. According to the settlement terms, Walgreens could face an additional $50 million payment if it undergoes a sale, merger, or transfer before the fiscal year 2032.
To ensure compliance, Walgreens must adhere to specific measures over the next seven years. These include providing annual training for pharmacy employees on legal obligations concerning controlled substances, verifying adequate pharmacy staffing, and maintaining a system to block prescriptions from prescribers known to write illegitimate prescriptions.
The DOJ’s complaint alleged that Walgreens pressured pharmacists to expedite the filling of controlled-substance prescriptions without verifying their legitimacy and fostered a corporate culture that discouraged pharmacists from fulfilling their duty to verify prescription authenticity. The department also accused Walgreens of preventing pharmacists from alerting one another about prescribers of invalid opioid prescriptions.