Walmart to pay $50 million settlement over opioid prescription allegations

Walmart has agreed to pay a $50 million settlement over allegations that its pharmacies filled thousands of illegal prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The government complaint, first filed at the end of President Trump’s first term and amended during President Joe Biden’s term, accused Walmart of violating the Controlled Substances Act. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward stated, "Today’s settlement proves this department is committed to putting Americans’ flourishing first." He added that Congress enacted laws to promote responsibility and accountability for companies dispensing controlled substances to protect Americans, emphasizing that the department will enforce pharmacies' obligations to comply with these protections. The complaint alleged that Walmart had been filling invalid prescriptions with the knowledge of pharmacists and its compliance team since June 2013. Some Walmart pharmacists reported the alleged illegal activity to Walmart’s corporate compliance team through thousands of “refusal-to-fill” forms, according to the DOJ. The compliance team, however, reportedly prioritized other goals over compliance with the Controlled Substances Act. One director on the compliance team acknowledged in an email that rather than analyzing the refusal-to-fill reports, the team viewed “driving sales and patient awareness” as a better use of their time. Additionally, pharmacists allegedly filled invalid prescriptions from “pill mill” prescribers or prescriptions that had red flags, such as dangerous opioid and nonopioid combinations, repeated early fill requests of frequently abused drugs, or high dosages of opioids. As part of the settlement, Walmart has agreed to establish a hotline for employees and patients to report suspected illegal activity and must proactively monitor pharmacy dispensing patterns. Walmart did not immediately respond to requests for comment.