CVS agrees to pay $315 million to settle Justice Department case over opioid prescriptions

CVS Pharmacy and its subsidiaries have agreed to pay $315 million to resolve a Justice Department case regarding the unlawful dispensing of medically unnecessary prescriptions for addictive opioids and other controlled substances. According to Investing.com, the lawsuit alleged that since 2013, the company violated the federal Controlled Substances Act and sought payment from federal healthcare programs, such as Medicare, in violation of the False Claims Act.

Forbes reported that the settlement also addresses claims that the company improperly billed federal healthcare programs.

As part of the agreement, CVS will work with the Drug Enforcement Administration to establish processes for monitoring and receiving reports of potentially illegal dispensing and evaluating doctors suspected of illegal prescribing, Investing.com reported. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward stated the settlement is a significant milestone in efforts to combat the opioid epidemic by cracking down on pharmacies that unlawfully fulfill prescriptions.

MedPage Today reported that CVS disagrees with the claims made in the lawsuit and that the settlement does not admit to any wrongdoing. The company stated that its pharmacists are trained in the safe and appropriate use of medications and have implemented programs to assist in patient decision-making. In 2024, the company also argued that pharmacists were being held to vague and ever-changing standards of practice regarding prescription opioids.

Brief written by urgent.news from PBS NewsHour, PBS NewsHour Health, MedPage Today, Forbes, Investing.com — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.