CVS to Pay $315 Million Over Claims It Filled Unlawful Opioid Prescriptions

CVS Pharmacy Inc. and related entities agreed Tuesday to pay $315 million to resolve Justice Department allegations that the company illegally filled opioid and other controlled-substance prescriptions and billed many of them to Medicare and other federal health programs.

The sum settles claims that the company illegally filled such prescriptions from Oct. 17, 2013, through Dec. 2, 2025.

The government alleged CVS knowingly filled prescriptions that lacked a legitimate medical purpose, were not valid, or were not issued in the usual course of professional practice. 

Those included dangerous and excessive quantities of opioids, early refills, and “trinity” combinations of an opioid, a benzodiazepine, and a muscle relaxant. 

CVS also allegedly filled prescriptions from “pill mill” prescribers while ignoring red flags. Many of these claims were later reimbursed by federal programs. 

“Not only does this settlement hold bad actors accountable for their fraudulent activities, but Americans are safer because of it,” Associate Attorney General Stanley E. Woodward Jr. said in a statement. “Today’s settlement is a significant milestone in the Justice Department’s efforts to combat the opioid epidemic by cracking down on pharmacies who unlawfully fulfill prescriptions for controlled substances.” 

According to the complaint, corporate policies kept pharmacists from warning one another about problem prescribers. 

Beyond the payment, CVS entered a memorandum of agreement with the DEA. 

It requires a hotline for employees and the public to report suspected illegal dispensing, proactive monitoring of pharmacy patterns, and a process to evaluate prescribers suspected of illegal practices.

The settlement agreement says: “The claims asserted against CVS … are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.”

The settlement also resolves a False Claims Act whistleblower suit filed in 2019 by former CVS employee Hillary Estright of Tennessee. The amount awarded in that case hasn’t yet been determined.

CVS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The DOJ unsealed the complaint against CVS in December 2024.

In April 2025, the DOJ announced that Walgreens agreed to pay up to $350 million to settle allegations that it knowingly filled millions of unlawful opioid and other controlled-substance prescriptions and submitted false claims to federal health programs. 

The settlement resolved claims that Walgreens violated both the Controlled Substances Act and the False Claims Act from 2012 through 2023. 

Individual states have also taken legal action against CVS.

In May 2023, Nevada reached a settlement with CVS Pharmacy worth nearly $152 million over the company’s role in the opioid epidemic. 

In March 2022, Florida reached more than $878 million in settlements with CVS Health Corp. and three drug companies to resolve claims and avert a trial over their roles in fueling an opioid epidemic in the state. CVS was responsible for $484 million of that total.

CVS Health Corp. is the parent company of CVS Pharmacy.

Reuters contributed to this report.