DOJ files suit alleging Walgreens dispensed ‘millions of unlawful prescriptions’

In a civil complaint filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Justice Department alleges that Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), Walgreen Co. and various subsidiaries dispensed millions of unlawful prescriptions in violation of the Controlled Substances Act and then sought reimbursement for many of these prescriptions from various federal health care programs in violation the False Claims Act, the DOJ announced. Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, said: “Our complaint alleges that Walgreens pharmacists filled millions of controlled substance prescriptions with clear red flags that indicated the prescriptions were highly likely to be unlawful, and that Walgreens systematically pressured its pharmacists to fill prescriptions, including controlled substance prescriptions, without taking the time needed to confirm their validity. These practices allowed millions of opioid pills and other controlled substances to flow illegally out of Walgreens stores.”