In one of the most significant legal disputes related to the drug epidemic in the United States, Walgreens Boots Alliance has agreed to pay $300 million to settle a federal lawsuit accusing the company of filling millions of illegitimate prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids in dangerous doses and combinations.
According to the Department of Justice and other agencies, for over a decade, employees of the second-largest pharmacy chain in the U.S. continued to fill prescriptions despite clear signs of irregularities, in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. What made the conduct more severe were the corporate pressures on employees to process prescriptions quickly, often at the expense of safety and compliance protocols.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton suggested these practices may have allowed “the illegal distribution of millions of pills,” fueling the nation’s drug crisis. The government also found that prescriptions often included combinations known as the “trinity” opioids, benzodiazepines, and muscle relaxants which are widely recognized as dangerous and prone to abuse.
The formal complaint, filed on January 16, also alleged that Walgreens sought reimbursements for these products from Medicare and other federal programs, thus violating the False Claims Act, a law designed to combat fraud against the government.
Despite the size of the settlement, Walgreens has not admitted to any wrongdoing. A spokesperson told CBS MoneyWatch via email that the company “disagrees with the government’s legal interpretation” and emphasized that their pharmacists are “dedicated professionals committed to patient safety,” adding that they will continue to advocate for the responsible use of opioids.
The settlement spares the American multinational formed in 2014 by the merger of U.S.-based Walgreens and British-Swiss Alliance Boots from a potentially devastating financial liability: penalties for each unlawful prescription could have reached $80,850, multiplied by millions of violations.
The agreement comes at a pivotal moment for the company: in March 2025, Walgreens announced a $10 billion deal with Sycamore Partners for its acquisition and delisting from Wall Street, one of the most notable private equity transactions in recent U.S. history.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 700,000 people have died from opioid overdoses in the U.S. since 1999. While the most recent trend shows declines, the opioid epidemic remains a national public health emergency that continues to strain the system, fueled by political failures, pressure from the pharmaceutical industry, and an increasingly fragile social fabric.
