New York (CNN Business) The Department of Justice is alleging that Walmart broke the law and contributed to the prescription opioid crisis by filling thousands of invalid prescriptions and failing to report suspicious orders of opioids, according to the department's statement. The Justice Department said the civil penalties it is seeking could total billions of dollars and injunctive relief. The department's complaint, which was filed in US District Court for the District of Delaware Tuesday, alleges a multi-year investigation found Walmart had violated the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) in multiple ways—both as an operator of its pharmacies and of its wholesale drug distribution centers. "As one of the largest pharmacy chains and wholesale drug distributors in the country, Walmart had the responsibility and the means to help prevent the diversion of prescription opioids," said the Department's Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division Jeffrey Bossert Clark who alleged that Walmart for years "did the opposite." Walmart WMT In response, blasted the Justice Department for allegedly inventing "a legal theory that unlawfully forces pharmacists to come between patients and their doctors" and using "cherry-picked documents taken out of context."

Source: CNN December 22, 2020 22:41 UTC