A CVS store. (Photo by Lynne Terry, Oregon Capital Chronicle, States Newsroom.)
The U.S. Justice Department is suing pharmacy giant CVS, accusing it of putting profits over patient safety and thus fueling the opioid crisis. The accusations bear similarities to violations for which the Ohio Board of Pharmacy last year fined the company, and the DOJ complaint cites some of board’s findings in its suit.
The complaint was unsealed last week in Providence, R.I.
In essence, it accuses CVS of understaffing its pharmacies to such an extent that pharmacists and technicians could not ensure they were filling opioid prescriptions properly. Additionally, it accuses CVS of even graver conduct.
“ CVS also allegedly 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,” a statement announcing the lawsuit said. “According to the complaint, CVS ignored substantial evidence from multiple sources, including its own pharmacists and internal data, indicating that its stores were dispensing unlawful prescriptions.”