Walmart Inc. (WMT) has agreed to pay $50 million to resolve allegations that its pharmacies violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) by dispensing thousands of invalid opioid prescriptions. The settlement was jointly announced by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The government’s complaint, initially filed on December 22, 2020, and subsequently amended in 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, alleges that beginning June 26, 2013, Walmart filled invalid prescriptions through the deliberate actions of both its compliance personnel and store pharmacists. Prosecutors contend that Walmart’s internal compliance team recognized certain prescribers as “pill mills” yet continued processing their prescriptions without proper oversight.
According to federal allegations, Walmart pharmacists knowingly dispensed prescriptions containing clear warning signs, including hazardous drug combinations, mixed regimens of opioids and non-opioid medications, excessive repeat fills of high-dose opioids, and frequent requests for early refills of commonly abused controlled substances.
As part of the settlement agreement, Walmart has signed a memorandum of understanding with the DEA to enhance its compliance protocols for controlled substance dispensing. The agreement requires Walmart to implement a dedicated reporting hotline for employees and customers to flag suspected illegal dispensing activity, establish proactive monitoring systems for pharmacy dispensing patterns, and develop procedures to evaluate prescribers suspected of unlawful prescribing practices.
