The government complaint, first filed at the end of President Donald Trump<\/a>\u2019s first term and amended during former President Joe Biden\u2019s term, accused Walmart of violating the Controlled Substances Act.<\/p>\n “Today\u2019s settlement proves this department is committed to putting Americans\u2019 flourishing first,” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said in a statement. “Congress enacted laws to promote responsibility and accountability for companies who dispense controlled substances to protect Americans.\u00a0<\/p>\n “This department will never shy away from vigorously enforcing pharmacies\u2019 obligations to comply with those protections, ensuring that potential profits never justify aiding our nation\u2019s opioid epidemic.”<\/p>\n AS A US ATTORNEY, I SEE FENTANYL’S HORRIFYING TOLL UP CLOSE; CONGRESS MUST ACT NOW<\/a><\/p>\n Walmart has agreed to pay a $50 million settlement over allegations its pharmacies were illegally filling thousands of prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances, according to th DOJ and DEA. (Bob Riha, Jr.\/Getty Images, File \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n The complaint alleged that Walmart had been filling invalid prescriptions<\/a> with the knowledge of pharmacists and its compliance team since June 2013.<\/p>\n Some Walmart pharmacists reported the alleged illegal activity to Walmart\u2019s corporate compliance team, including through thousands of “refusal-to-fill” forms, the DOJ said<\/a>.<\/p>\n “The compliance team, however, prioritized other goals over CSA compliance,” the DOJ said.\u00a0<\/p>\n “As one director on the compliance team acknowledged in an email, rather than analyzing the refusal-to-fill reports, the compliance team viewed \u2018[d]riving sales and patient awareness,\u2019 as \u2018a far better use of our Market Directors and Market manger\u2019s time.\u2019”<\/p>\n WALMART MAKES CHANGES TO HOW MILLIONS OF CUSTOMERS CAN PAY AT CHECKOUT<\/a><\/p>\n Tablets of the opioid painkiller Oxycodone. (Eric Baradat\/AFP via Getty Images, File \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n Pharmacists also allegedly knowingly filled invalid prescriptions from “pill mill” prescribers or prescriptions that had red flags, such as dangerous opioid and nonopioid “cocktails,” repeated early fill requests of frequently abused drugs or high-dosages of opioids, according to the DOJ.<\/p>\n![\"Walmart](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/walmart-pharmacy.jpg\")
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