The Department of Justice sued CVS, alleging that it filled illegal prescriptions

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a civil complaint in federal court alleging that CVS Pharmacy distributed illegal prescriptions in violation of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and False Claims Act (FCA).

The government’s complaint targets the nation’s largest pharmaceutical company with more than 9,000 stores across the country, alleging that it “intentionally provided prescriptions for controlled substances that lacked a legitimate medical purpose, were not valid, and/or were not issued in the ordinary course of professional practice.” “.

The Department of Justice alleges that the pharmacy giant has continued its illegal practices from October 17, 2013 to the present.

The Department of Justice alleged that CVS filled excessive and dangerous quantities of opioids, Early mobilization of opioids And “Trinity Prescriptions” illegally.

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“Trinity Prescriptions” is a combination of prescription medications that includes opioids, benzodiazepines, and muscle relaxants.

The complaint also alleges that CVS filled prescriptions written by prescribers who were known to engage in “pill mill practices,” which is when prescribers issue large quantities of drugs without any medical purpose.

“According to the complaint, CVS ignored substantial evidence from multiple sources, including pharmacists and its own internal data, indicating that its stores were dispensing illegal prescriptions,” the Justice Department said.

the Ministry of Justice CVS is accused of violating the acts over its performance measures, compensation incentives and hiring policies.

“CVS has set staffing levels so low that pharmacists are unable to meet their performance metrics and comply with their legal obligations,” the complaint said.

The Department of Justice also alleged that it withheld important information from pharmacists that could have prevented the amount of illegal prescriptions.

The Justice Department also alleged that CVS, through its malpractices, helped fuel the ongoing opioid crisis in the United States.

“This lawsuit alleges that CVS failed to exercise its critical role as gatekeeper to dangerous opioids and, instead, facilitated the illegal distribution of these highly addictive drugs, including through prescription pill prescribers,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha.

“When companies like CVS put their profits over patient safety and burden their pharmacy staff so that they are unable to carry out the basic responsibility of ensuring the legitimacy of prescriptions, we will use every tool at our disposal to make sure they are held accountable.” He said.

The Justice Department said CVS could face civil penalties for each illegal prescription filled in violation of the CSA, penalties for each prescription reimbursed by federal health care programs and injunctive relief to prevent CVS from committing further violations.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesman said: CVS Pharmacy He said CVS officials “strongly disagree” with the allegations and the “false narrative” presented by the Justice Department.

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CVS	CVS Health Company	59.08	-0.77	-1.29%

“We have cooperated with the Department of Justice’s investigation for more than four years, and we strongly disagree with the false allegations and narratives in this complaint,” the company said. “We will defend ourselves vigorously against this misguided federal lawsuit, which comes on the heels of years of litigation over these issues by state and local governments — claims that have already been largely resolved through a global agreement with the attorneys general of the participating states.

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CVS added, “The government’s lawsuit seeks to impose a changed standard of pharmacy practice. Many of the litigation theories set forth in the complaint are not found in any law or regulation and relate to topics on which the government has refused to provide guidance.” “All of the prescriptions in question were for FDA-approved opioid medications Prescribed by a practitioner who has been licensed, authorized, and authorized by the government itself to write prescriptions for controlled substances.”

A CVS Pharmacy spokesperson pointed to its history as a leader in developing ways to combat the opioid crisis.

“For example, 12 years ago, CVS Pharmacy pioneered a first-of-its-kind program to block controlled substance prescriptions written by doctors who might raise a potential concern. To date, we have blocked more than 1,250 practitioners, including nearly 600 Prescribers who CVS said: “The government continues to license.”

“This program is not required by any law or regulation, and CVS Health has repeatedly defended lawsuits from those who claim we have gone too far in preventing opioid prescribing.

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“The government’s lawsuit exacerbates a serious dilemma for pharmacists, who are simultaneously being criticized for dispensing too many opioids and too few.”