The Department of Justice has sued pharmacy giant Walgreens, alleging that the company knowingly filled millions of unlawful prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances from 2012 to the present. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, claims that Walgreens pharmacists filled prescriptions with clear red flags indicating they were highly likely to be unlawful, and that the company prioritized profits over safety and compliance.
The suit alleges that Walgreens pharmacists were pressured to fill prescriptions quickly, without taking the time to confirm their validity, and that the company’s policies and practices prevented pharmacists from exercising their responsibility to verify prescriptions. The company’s metrics, such as “Verify By Promise Time,” which expected pharmacists to fill prescriptions within 15 minutes, and its tracking of pharmacists who dispensed a low rate of controlled substances, are cited as evidence of Walgreens’s failure to comply with its obligations.
The Department of Justice alleges that some Walgreens patients died of overdose deaths shortly after receiving invalid prescriptions filled at Walgreens. The company has denied any wrongdoing, saying that it will not stand by and allow the government to put its pharmacists in a no-win situation by enforcing “rules” that do not exist.
Walgreens stands behind its pharmacists, stating that they are dedicated healthcare professionals who fill legitimate prescriptions for FDA-approved medications written by DEA-licensed prescribers in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations. The company is asking the court to clarify the responsibilities of pharmacies and pharmacists and to protect against the government’s attempt to enforce arbitrary “rules” that do not appear in any law or regulation.