Walgreens ducked compliance, filled fake opioid prescriptions, DOJ suit alleges

Walgreens skimped on compliance and filled millions of prescriptions for narcotics that weren’t medically necessary, the Department of Justice (DOJ) alleged in a complaint against the company, first brought by four whistleblowers.

The U.S. has been in the grip of a massive opioid addiction epidemic, fueled by prescription pain killers, primarily Oxycontin, the DOJ and states have alleged in dozens of lawsuits against opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma and others.

The lawsuits allege the epidemic has been fueled by misinformation about the true addictiveness of the drugs, and the willingness of national pharmacy chains to forego compliance and dispense potentially fraudulent opioid prescriptions. Pharmacies are required under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to validate prescriptions for addictive drugs before filling them.