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CVS Health Pays $315M Over Opioid Prescriptions
14 Oct
Summary
- CVS Health agreed to a $315 million settlement with the DOJ.
- The settlement resolves allegations of illegal opioid prescription fulfillment.
- The company claims no wrongdoing and asserts disagreement with allegations.
The Justice Department announced on Tuesday that CVS Health will pay $315 million to resolve allegations of illegally filling prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances. This settlement addresses a 2019 whistleblower lawsuit and a federal complaint filed in 2024.
Allegations against the pharmacy chain included claims that it knowingly dispensed prescriptions for controlled substances without legitimate medical purpose, which were not valid or issued through common professional practices. Corporate performance metrics allegedly incentivized these actions to boost profits.
The agreement does not constitute an admission of guilt by CVS Health. The settlement mandates that CVS implement enhanced safeguards to ensure controlled substance prescriptions are dispensed only when medically appropriate, including proactive monitoring of prescribing patterns.
CVS Health stated it strongly disagrees with the claims and that the settlement admits no wrongdoing. The company expressed satisfaction in moving past the litigation.
