Walmart pays $50 million to settle DOJ opioid prescription claims

Walmart is settling a federal lawsuit by paying $50 million over allegations involving invalid opioid and controlled-substance prescriptions. The Justice Department and DEA accused Walmart of violating the Controlled Substances Act at roughly 4,600 pharmacies. The alleged warning signs included dangerous drug combinations. The allegations also included excessive or early refills. The allegations further included prescriptions from suspected pill mills. The complaint alleged that Walmart's compliance team knew about the issues and allowed dispensing to continue. Walmart entered a memorandum of agreement with the DEA as part of the settlement. The agreement requires a hotline for reporting suspected illegal dispensing. The agreement requires proactive monitoring of pharmacy patterns. The agreement requires evaluation of suspicious prescribers. DEA Assistant Administrator Cheri Oz said pharmacies must identify and prevent unlawful dispensing of controlled substances. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodard said the department would enforce compliance so that profits would not justify contributing to the opioid epidemic. Walmart said it was pleased to resolve the matter. The agreement follows Walmart's 2022 $3.1 billion settlement with states and local governments over similar claims.