DOJ Files Complaint Against CVS Alleging Pharmacy Filled Unlawful Prescriptions

‘We will defend ourselves vigorously against this misguided federal lawsuit,’ a CVS spokesperson said.
DOJ Files Complaint Against CVS Alleging Pharmacy Filled Unlawful Prescriptions
A CVS pharmacy store in New York City on Nov. 17, 2021. Andrew Kelly/Reuters
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The Department of Justice (DOJ) unsealed a civil complaint on Dec. 18 alleging that CVS Pharmacy Inc. and various subsidiaries helped contribute to the opioid crisis by knowingly filling unlawful prescriptions in violation of the federal Controlled Substances Act while also seeking reimbursement from federal health care programs.

In the complaint, filed in federal court in Providence, Rhode Island, the DOJ alleged that the prescriptions filled by the company lacked a legitimate medical purpose, were not valid, or were not issued in the “usual course of professional practice.”