Walmart has agreed to pay a $50 million settlement over allegations its pharmacies were illegally filling thousands of prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The government complaint, first filed at the end of President Trump’s first term and amended during former President Joe Biden’s term, accused Walmart of violating the Controlled Substances Act.
“Today’s settlement proves this department is committed to putting Americans’ flourishing first,” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said in a statement.
“Congress enacted laws to promote responsibility and accountability for companies who dispense controlled substances to protect Americans.
“This department will never shy away from vigorously enforcing pharmacies’ obligations to comply with those protections, ensuring that potential profits never justify aiding our nation’s opioid epidemic.”
The complaint alleged that Walmart had been filling invalid prescriptions with the knowledge of pharmacists and its compliance team since June 2013.
Some Walmart pharmacists reported the alleged illegal activity to Walmart’s corporate compliance team, including through thousands of “refusal-to-fill” forms, the DOJ said.
“The compliance team, however, prioritized other goals over CSA compliance,” the DOJ said.
“As one director on the compliance team acknowledged in an email, rather than analyzing the refusal-to-fill reports, the compliance team viewed ‘[d]riving sales and patient awareness,’ as ‘a far better use of our Market Directors and Market manger’s time.’”
Pharmacists also allegedly knowingly filled invalid prescriptions from “pill mill” prescribers or prescriptions that had red flags, such as dangerous opioid and nonopioid “cocktails,” repeated early fill requests of frequently abused drugs or high-dosages of opioids, according to the DOJ.
As part of the settlement, the DOJ said Walmart had entered into an agreement to establish a hotline for employees and patients to report suspected illegal activity.
The company must also proactively monitor pharmacy dispensing patterns.
Walmart did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.