CVS Pharmacy and related subsidiaries agreed Tuesday to pay $315 million to resolve a Justice Department case alleging the company improperly dispensed opioids and other controlled substances, the department said.
The allegations included filling medically unnecessary prescriptions and seeking federal health-program reimbursement for many prescriptions, according to the reports. The government alleged violations of the Controlled Substances Act and False Claims Act. The case was tied to former CVS employee Hillary Estright, who filed a whistleblower lawsuit, The Hill and Washington Examiner reported. The accounts differ on timing: PBS and the Washington Examiner described a government lawsuit filed in 2024, while The Hill said Estright first filed suit in 2019. The settlement resolves the litigation.