CVS, the largest pharmacy chain in the U.S., has been accused by the Justice Department of knowingly filling faulty opioid prescriptions.
In a new civil lawsuit, the DOJ claims the pharmacy company unlawfully gave patients “dangerous and excessive quantities of opioids” including dangerous, addictive combinations of drugs called “trinity cocktails” — a combination of drugs that is made up of an opioid, a benzodiazepine and a muscle relaxant.
The lawsuit additionally alleges that CVS filled large quantities of prescriptions for controlled substances written by prescribers it knew to be engaged in “pill mill practices” — that is, prescribers who issue large numbers of controlled substance prescriptions without any medical purpose, investigators said.
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The DOJ claimed CVS filled these prescriptions to “fuel its own profits at the expense of public health and safety.”
An attorney for CVS called the lawsuit “misguided” and said the company will defend itself in court.
If CVS is found liable, it could face civil penalties for each unlawful prescription filled and treble damages and other penalties for each prescription reimbursed by federal health care programs.
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It’s the latest effort by federal prosecutors to hold companies accountable that officials say helped fuel the U.S. addiction and overdose crisis, with opioids linked to more than 80,000 annual deaths in some recent years. For the past decade, most of these deaths have mostly been attributed to illicit fentanyl, which is laced into many illegal drugs. Earlier in the epidemic, prescription pills were the primary cause of death.
Over the past eight years, drugmakers, wholesalers and pharmacies have agreed to about $50 billion worth of settlements with governments — with most of the money required to be used to fight the crisis.
