CVS Health will pay $315 million to settle a Justice Department lawsuit over opioid prescriptions, the department said Tuesday.
Federal prosecutors accused the pharmacy chain of illegally filling prescriptions for addictive painkillers that were not medically necessary. The case was first announced in 2024 and was part of a broader effort to hold drug distributors and pharmacies responsible for the volume of opioids that fueled the national addiction crisis.
The settlement resolves the federal claims. CVS has also paid billions in earlier settlements with states and local governments over opioids. Arizona received a share of national pharmacy settlements, and that money pays for treatment and prevention programs around the state.
Anyone in Arizona who needs help with opioid use can call the Arizona Opioid Assistance and Referral Line at 1-888-688-4222, which is free and open around the clock.
Sources: Reuters via Devdiscourse. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Ser Amantio di Nicolao / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
