In an update to a January 30, 2025, story, Walgreens agreed to pay up to $350 million for illegally filling unlawful opioid prescriptions and for submitting false claims to the federal government. Read a Department of Justice press release.
In a civil complaint, the Justice Department alleges that Walgreens knowingly filled millions of prescriptions for controlled substances that lacked a legitimate medical purpose, were not valid, and/or were not issued in the usual course of professional practice. Among the unlawful prescriptions were those for dangerous and excessive quantities of opioids, for early refills of opioids, and for the especially dangerous and abused combination of drugs known as the “trinity,” which is made up of an opioid, a benzodiazepine, and a muscle relaxant. The complaint alleges that Walgreens’ actions helped to fuel the prescription opioid crisis and that some patients died after overdosing on opioids shortly after filling unlawful prescriptions at Walgreens. Read a story from The Associated Press and a Department of Justice press release.