The Department of Justice is suing Walgreens for its alleged involvement in the opioid crisis

Ministry of Justice, January 16 submitted civil suit against Walgreens Boots Alliance and its subsidiaries for illegally dispensing millions of prescriptions in violation of the Controlled Substances Act.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, also alleges that Walgreens sought reimbursement from federal health care programs in violation of the False Claims Act, according to a Jan. 17 news release.

The Justice Department alleges that Walgreens knowingly filled millions of invalid prescriptions for controlled substances since August 2012, including excessive opioids, early refills and a “dangerous drug combination” called the “trinity,” which combines muscle relaxants, opioids and benzodiazepines. The complaint alleges that Walgreens pharmacists filled prescriptions “despite clear red flags” that indicated the prescriptions were likely illegal, ignoring other internal data and evidence the pharmacists issued illegal prescriptions.

The complaint also alleges that Walgreens pressured its pharmacists to fill prescriptions quickly without verifying validity and withheld information such as warnings about certain prescribers. According to the release, Walgreens allegedly violated the CSA by knowingly filling illegal prescriptions and allegedly violated the FCA by seeking compensation under the federal program.

“The complaint alleges that Walgreens’ actions helped fuel the prescription opioid crisis and that in some particularly tragic cases, patients died of opioid overdoses shortly after obtaining illegal prescriptions from Walgreens,” the release said.

Walgreens could face civil penalties of up to $80,850 for the illegal prescription, treble damages and other penalties for violating the federal program if found liable.

This was reported by a spokesperson for Walgreens Becker In a January 17 filing, the company asked the court to “clarify the responsibilities of pharmacies and pharmacists and protect against government attempts to apply arbitrary ‘rules’ that are not contained in any law or regulation and have never gone through any formal rulemaking process.” .

“We will not stand by and allow the government to put our pharmacists in a no-win situation by trying to follow ‘rules’ that simply do not exist,” the statement said. “Walgreens supports our pharmacists, the dedicated health care professionals who live in the communities they serve, by filling legal prescriptions for FDA-approved medications written by DEA-licensed physicians who prescribe them in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Walgreens has long been a leader in providing educational resources and implementing best-in-class policies and procedures to combat opioid abuse. We look forward to the opportunity to protect the professionalism and integrity of our pharmacists.”