DOJ sues CVS, alleging pharmacy filled unlawful opioid prescriptions [Video]

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit in Rhode Island on Wednesday, which alleges that CVS Pharmacy filled unlawful prescriptions in violation of the Controlled Substances Act and sought reimbursement from federal healthcare programs for some of the unlawful prescriptions in violation of the False Claims Act.Based out of Rhode Island, CVS is the largest pharmacy chain in the U.S., operating over 9,000 pharmacies across the country.The lawsuit alleges that “from Oct. 17, 2013, to the present, CVS knowingly filled prescriptions for controlled substances that lacked a legitimate medical purpose, were not valid and were not issued in the usual course of professional practice.”This includes prescriptions for dangerous and excessive quantities of opioids, early fills of opioids, and “trinity” prescriptions, an especially dangerous and abused combination of drugs made up of an opioid, a benzodiazepine and a muscle relaxant.The lawsuit alleges “CVS also filled large quantities of prescriptions …