Walgreens has agreed to pay $300 million to settle U.S. prosecutors’ allegations that it illegally crammed thousands and thousands of invalid prescriptions for opioids and different managed substances, the U.S. Justice Division mentioned on Monday.
The cash, plus 4% curiosity yearly, will likely be paid out over six years underneath the phrases of the settlement. Walgreens will even owe the U.S. an extra $50 million if the corporate is offered, merged, or transferred previous to fiscal yr 2032, the Justice Division mentioned.
“We strongly disagree with the federal government’s authorized idea and admit no legal responsibility,” Walgreens spokesperson Fraser Engerman mentioned in an announcement. “Our pharmacists are devoted healthcare professionals who care deeply about affected person security and proceed to play a vital function in offering schooling and assets to assist fight opioid misuse and abuse throughout our nation.”
The corporate mentioned in a submitting with U.S. regulators that it didn’t count on any main instances over opioids sooner or later.
The federal government’s January lawsuit alleged Walgreens ignored “purple flags” that prescriptions had been unlawful and crammed them anyway, violating the Managed Substances Act. The federal government additionally alleged it violated the False Claims Act when it then sought reimbursement from federal well being care packages, like Medicare, for the prescriptions.
Walgreens is among the many drug producers, distributors, pharmacy operators and others who’ve collectively lately agreed to pay about $50 billion to resolve lawsuits and investigations by states and native governments accusing them of serving to gas a lethal opioid habit epidemic within the U.S.
Walgreens in 2022 agreed to pay as much as $5.52 billion over 15 years to resolve hundreds of lawsuits by state and native governments accusing the corporate of fueling the U.S. opioid epidemic.
Associated: CVS, Walgreens and Walmart to Pay $13.8B to Settle U.S. Opioid Claims: Sources
The U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention says almost 727,000 opioid overdose deaths occurred from 1999 to 2022.
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