Justice Department Sues Walmart Over Opioid Prescriptions

The U.S. Division of Justice has submitted a civil criticism versus Walmart in excess of its role in the opioid crisis, alleging unlawful perform by the firm resulted in hundreds of 1000’s of violations of the Controlled Substances Act.

In a statement, the Justice Division explained Walmart knowingly filled 1000’s of controlled material prescriptions that were not issued for respectable health-related needs. It also alleged that the firm unsuccessful to report suspicious orders to the Drug Enforcement Company.

“As one particular of the greatest pharmacy chains and wholesale drug distributors in the country, Walmart experienced the duty and the suggests to support avoid the diversion of prescription opioids,” Performing Assistant Attorney Typical of the Civil Division Jeffrey Bossert Clark explained. “Instead, for a long time, it did the reverse — filling 1000’s of invalid prescriptions at its pharmacies and failing to report suspicious orders of opioids and other drugs positioned by all those pharmacies.  This unlawful perform contributed to the epidemic of opioid abuse all over the United States.

The DOJ explained Walmart confronted civil penalties of $67,627 for every unlawful prescription filled and $15,691 for every suspicious purchase.

In a statement Walmart explained the fit was an try to shift blame absent from the DEA, which had unsuccessful to hold “bad doctors” from prescribing perilous drugs improperly.

“The Justice Department’s investigation is tainted by historical ethics violations, and this lawsuit invents a lawful principle that unlawfully forces pharmacists to arrive between sufferers and their medical doctors and is riddled with factual inaccuracies and cherry-picked documents taken out of context,” the firm explained.

Walmart explained it blocked 1000’s of questionable medical doctors and sent “tens of thousands” of investigative sales opportunities to the DEA.

In Oct, the DOJ announced it experienced fixed its prison and civil investigations into Purdue Pharma and users of the Sackler family, makers of the powerful painkiller OxyContin. That settlement involved $eight billion in penalties and guilty pleas to a few felonies.

opioids, The U.S. Division of Justice, walmart