Justice Department Sues Walmart Over Opioid Prescriptions

The U.S. Section of Justice has filed a civil grievance from Walmart in excess of its role in the opioid crisis, alleging illegal conduct by the business resulted in hundreds of thousands of violations of the Controlled Substances Act.

In a statement, the Justice Section said Walmart knowingly filled thousands of managed compound prescriptions that ended up not issued for reputable health-related purposes. It also alleged that the business unsuccessful to report suspicious orders to the Drug Enforcement Agency.

“As one of the major pharmacy chains and wholesale drug distributors in the place, Walmart experienced the responsibility and the means to assistance reduce the diversion of prescription opioids,” Acting Assistant Attorney Standard of the Civil Division Jeffrey Bossert Clark said. “Instead, for decades, it did the opposite — filling thousands of invalid prescriptions at its pharmacies and failing to report suspicious orders of opioids and other medicines placed by all those pharmacies.  This illegal conduct contributed to the epidemic of opioid abuse through the United States.

The DOJ said Walmart faced civil penalties of $67,627 for just about every illegal prescription filled and $15,691 for just about every suspicious buy.

In a statement Walmart said the suit was an attempt to change blame absent from the DEA, which had unsuccessful to maintain “bad doctors” from prescribing hazardous medicines improperly.

“The Justice Department’s investigation is tainted by historical ethics violations, and this lawsuit invents a lawful idea that unlawfully forces pharmacists to appear among clients and their medical professionals and is riddled with factual inaccuracies and cherry-picked paperwork taken out of context,” the business said.

Walmart said it blocked thousands of questionable medical professionals and sent “tens of thousands” of investigative prospects to the DEA.

In October, the DOJ declared it experienced resolved its felony and civil investigations into Purdue Pharma and users of the Sackler family members, makers of the strong painkiller OxyContin. That settlement bundled $8 billion in penalties and guilty pleas to 3 felonies.

opioids, The U.S. Section of Justice, walmart