With the filing of two class action lawsuits, one against Walgreens and Costco, and one against CVS, in two federal district courts on August 6, pharmacies find themselves in a perplexing situation (yet again). For these suits were filed not by those who suffered from the over-dispensing of opioids, but by chronic pain patients who were denied opioid medication by pharmacies.
DEA and Walgreens Settlement
On June 11, 2013, the DEA announced that Walgreens Corporation agreed to pay $80 million in civil penalties, the largest settlement in DEA history. This settlement resolves both the DEA’s administrative actions against Walgreens and the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s civil penalty investigation. In addition to the civil penalty, Walgreens agreed to a two year
Oral Argument: Walgreen Co. v. DEA
Today the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard oral arguments in the matter of Walgreen Co. v. Drug Enforcement Administration, et al., (Docket No. 12-1397). I will leave the prognosticating to trained professionals; however, it was clear to me that Walgreens was before a sympathetic panel. The three-judge panel asked