CVS agrees to pay $315 million to settle opioid prescription claims
publishers 32articles 32first reported 13 Oct, 17:03 UTCdeveloping since 13 Oct · 9 editions
CVS Health has agreed to pay $315 million to resolve Justice Department claims that its pharmacies unlawfully filled prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances, the department announced Tuesday.
The federal case alleged that CVS Pharmacy Inc. and subsidiaries dispensed medically unnecessary prescriptions, including highly addictive opioids, in violation of federal law. Prosecutors accused the company of filling large volumes of controlled-substance prescriptions to increase profits at the expense of public health and safety.
The litigation originated with a whistleblower complaint filed in 2019 by former CVS employee Hillary Estright under the False Claims Act, according to The Hill. The Justice Department later brought a lawsuit against CVS in 2024. The settlement is intended to resolve the federal government’s claims arising from the company’s handling of the prescriptions.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, headlines and summaries only; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 27 h after the record first saw the story; the editor revised it.
- Publishers
- 32
- Source articles
- 32
- Given to the writer
- 8, headlines and summaries only
- Independent newsrooms
- 8
- This version written
- 27 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- revised
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
WHAT THE EDITOR DID
The second model checked the writer's draft against the same sources and changed it before publication. Struck words were in the draft; underlined words are its corrections.
WHAT IT FLAGGED editor revise: Delete the unsupported statement about the absence of a court determination; the remaining story is supported by the sources. - "The payment settles the allegations without a court determination on their merits.": The supplied sources say the settlement resolves the case or lawsuits but do not establish that there was no court determination on the merits.
THE DRAFT AND THE CHANGES
CVS agrees to pay $315 million to settle opioid prescription claims
CVS Health has agreed to pay $315 million to resolve Justice Department claims that its pharmacies unlawfully filled prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances, the department announced Tuesday.
The federal case alleged that CVS Pharmacy Inc. and subsidiaries dispensed medically unnecessary prescriptions, including highly addictive opioids, in violation of federal law. Prosecutors accused the company of filling large volumes of controlled-substance prescriptions to increase profits at the expense of public health and safety. The payment settles the allegations without a court determination on their merits.
The litigation originated with a whistleblower complaint filed in 2019 by former CVS employee Hillary Estright under the False Claims Act, according to The Hill. The Justice Department later brought a lawsuit against CVS in 2024. The settlement is intended to resolve the federal government’s claims arising from the company’s handling of the prescriptions.
Written by a language model from the sources above, then checked by a second model that may only cut, attribute or correct. How it works →