Walgreens has been accused of filling millions of “dangerous” opioid prescriptions in a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice.
The complaint against the pharmacy giant alleges that the company knowingly filled an “excessive” number of prescriptions over the past decade without a legitimate purpose.
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, says Walgreen’s pharmacists filled prescriptions for controlled substances with clear red flags indicating there was a good chance they were illegal.
“These practices allowed millions of opioid pills and other controlled substances to flow illegally out of Walgreens stores,” Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s civil division, said in a statement.
Walgreens also allegedly systematically pressured pharmacists to fill prescriptions without taking the time to confirm their validity, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit says Walgreens’ alleged actions violated the federal Controlled Substances Act and the False Claims Act.
Four different whistleblowers who previously worked for Walgreens in different parts of the country have come forward, the statement said.
Since the lawsuit, Walgreens responded in a statement saying it “stands behind our pharmacists, dedicated health care professionals living in the communities they serve, who fill legitimate prescriptions for FDA-approved medications, written by DEA-licensed prescribers, in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.’
The lawsuit filed against Walgreens by the Justice Department alleged that Walgreens knowingly filled millions of “dangerous and excessive” prescriptions without a legitimate purpose over the past decade

The lawsuit says the drug company filled “illegal” prescriptions in violation of the federal Controlled Substances Act and sought reimbursement from federal health care programs in violation of the False Claims Act (Stock Photo)

“These practices allowed millions of opioid pills and other controlled substances to illegally flow out of Walgreens stores,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton (pictured), chief of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
‘We ask the court to clarify the responsibilities of pharmacies and pharmacists and provide protection against the government’s attempt to enforce arbitrary “rules” that are not found in any law or regulation and have never gone through an official regulatory process.
“We will not stand by and allow the government to put our pharmacists in a no-win situation, trying to comply with ‘rules’ that simply do not exist,” the press release said.
“We look forward to the opportunity to defend the professionalism and integrity of our pharmacists.”
The news comes after Walgreens recently announced widespread closures, including 12 stores in San Francisco at the end of February.
The drugstore chain has been struggling with financial problems for several years, which has led to the closure of more than 1,200 stores across the country by 2027.
Walgreens CEO Tim Wentworth unveiled a series of changes last year in hopes of reversing sluggish consumer spending and low drug reimbursement rates at the troubled pharmacy chain.
‘Our retail pharmacy business is central to our forward-thinking business strategy. However, increased regulatory and reimbursement pressures are weighing on our ability to cover costs associated with rent, staffing and supply needs,” Maloney shared. SFGate.
Maloney added that “as many employees as possible” will be given the opportunity to transfer to other stores, and that customer prescriptions will be transferred to nearby stores with plans to contact customers with more information.

Walgreens responded in a statement saying it “stands behind our pharmacists, dedicated health care professionals living in the communities they serve, who fill legitimate prescriptions for FDA-approved medications, written by DEA-licensed prescribers, in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations.’

The drugstore chain has been struggling with financial problems for several years, which has led to the closure of more than 1,200 stores across the country by 2027

Tim Wentworth, CEO of Walgreens, said: ‘When closures are necessary, such as those in San Francisco, we will work with community stakeholders to minimize customer disruptions.’
According to Walgreens’ closing schedule, one in seven Walgreens will close by 2027. San Francisco will be left with just 29 Walgreens stores after the new closures.
The Illinois-based company announced the closures after Wentworth revealed that about a quarter of Walgreens’ 8,600 U.S. stores were underperforming.
‘It is never an easy decision to close a store. We know our stores are important to the communities we serve and are committed to improving store performance.
“When closures are necessary, such as those in San Francisco, we will work with community stakeholders to minimize customer disruptions,” Wenworth said.
Wentworth also recently revealed that the company’s efforts to keep shoplifters at bay by locking up items haven’t worked.
This practice not only failed to deter thieves, but also had a dramatic and negative impact on sales.
In recent years, major retailers like Walgreens, CVS, Walmart and Target have increasingly resorted to stocking up on everyday items like toothbrushes, deodorant, laundry detergent, coffee and even milk.

During a recent earnings call, Wentworth admitted that despite the measures, there was a 52 percent increase in “shrinkage,” a term used for inventory lost to theft.
This practice has led to frustration among customers, with many complaining about the inconvenience of waiting for an employee to clear basic necessities.
During a recent earnings call, Wentworth admitted that despite the measures, there was a 52 percent increase in “shrinkage,” a term used for inventory lost to theft.
‘If you lock things up, you don’t sell as many. We’ve proven that more or less conclusively,” Wentworth admitted.
Instead, Wentworth said the company must look for “creative” solutions to combat the “hand-to-hand combat” of shoplifting.
For now, however, Walgreens appears to be addressing the problem by closing stores in areas most affected by theft.
A federal judge ruled in 2022 that Walgreens could be held responsible for contributing to San Francisco’s opioid crisis because it dispensed too many highly addictive drugs for years without proper supervision.
In November of that year, Walgreens, CVS and Walmart agreed to pay $13.8 billion to resolve thousands of lawsuits over opioid painkillers.

A federal judge ruled in 2022 that Walgreens could be held responsible for contributing to San Francisco’s opioid crisis because it dispensed too many addictive drugs for years without proper oversight
Under the proposed settlement, Walgreens agreed to pay approximately $5.7 billion over 15 years.
The companies did not admit that despite the payouts, they allowed highly addictive opioids to enter the illicit trade, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Walgreens said in its SEC filing that it “continues to believe it has strong legal defenses” and will vigorously defend itself against future lawsuits not covered by the settlement.