CVS will pay $315 million to settle federal claims that its pharmacies filled opioid prescriptions they should have stopped.
Story Highlights
- The Justice Department announced the $315 million settlement with CVS Pharmacy on Tuesday, October 13.
- The government said CVS filled high-risk opioid prescriptions, including from “pill mills,” without checking they were legitimate.
- CVS said it “strongly disagreed” with the claims and admits no wrongdoing under the deal.
- CVS must add safeguards so opioids are “dispensed only when medically appropriate.”
What the Government Said CVS Did
The Justice Department sued CVS in December 2024 under the Controlled Substances Act and the False Claims Act, the federal laws that govern addictive drugs and punish false bills to the government. It said CVS filled prescriptions for highly addictive opioids that were not medically needed, and that thin staffing plus pharmacist performance metrics and incentive pay pushed workers to fill orders fast without confirming they were legitimate. Many of those prescriptions were billed to Medicaid and other federal health programs.
CVS pushed back hard. The company said it “strongly disagreed” with the lawsuit, that its pharmacists are trained “in the safe and appropriate use of all medications,” and that its programs are “best-in-class” and help pharmacists “make the best decisions on behalf of patients.” Because the case was settled, there is no finding that CVS broke the law.
What Is a “Pill Mill”?
A pill mill is a doctor’s office or clinic that hands out prescriptions for addictive drugs without a real medical reason. The government said CVS filled prescriptions from providers it “knew or should have known” were operating as pill mills. It also pointed to orders for excessive amounts of opioids and early refills, which are warning signs pharmacists are expected to catch.
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr., a top Justice Department official, called the deal “a significant milestone in the Justice Department’s efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.” He said the settlement holds “bad actors accountable for their fraudulent activities” and that Americans are safer because of it.
What Changes at the Counter
Under the settlement, CVS must put new safeguards in place so opioids and other controlled substances, meaning drugs the government tightly regulates because they can be abused, are dispensed only when medically appropriate. Brett Shumate, who heads the Justice Department’s Civil Division, described those required changes.
If you take a prescribed pain medicine, nothing in this settlement changes your treatment. Keep working with your doctor and pharmacist on any questions about your prescription, and never stop or change a medicine on your own.
Why It Matters
Over the past decade, drugmakers, wholesalers, pharmacies and others have agreed to opioid settlements totaling more than $50 billion, most of it going to state and local governments. This deal adds the federal government’s own claim against one of the nation’s biggest drugstore chains. For taxpayers, it means money back for prescriptions Medicaid and other programs paid for. For families, it means more eyes on the warning signs at the pharmacy counter.
Sources:
pbs.org, apnews.com, providencejournal.com, fox17.com, cvshealth.com