CVS Pharmacy and several subsidiaries have agreed to pay $315 million to resolve a federal lawsuit alleging the company filled medically unnecessary prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances, the Justice Department announced Tuesday, Oct. 13. The case was filed in 2024 in federal court in Rhode Island. Federal officials alleged that CVS dispensed large quantities of powerful opioids based on prescriptions from providers known as “pill mills,” and that some prescriptions were issued without a legitimate medical purpose. The company’s alleged conduct took place while Helena Foulkes was president of CVS Pharmacy, from 2014 through 2018. Foulkes is now a candidate for Rhode Island governor, but she was not named as a defendant in the case. The settlement also requires CVS to adopt additional measures to ensure opioid and other controlled-substance prescriptions are dispensed only when medically appropriate. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward called the agreement a milestone in efforts to hold pharmacies accountable for unlawful dispensing. The lawsuit alleged that CVS staffing levels, performance targets and incentive policies pressured pharmacists to fill prescriptions quickly without adequately checking whether they were legitimate. It also said many of the prescriptions were paid for through Medicaid and other federal health programs. CVS said it disagrees with the allegations and that the settlement does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing. The company said its pharmacists receive training on safe medication use and that it has programs to support their decisions. In 2024, CVS argued that pharmacists faced unclear and changing standards for deciding whether to fill opioid prescriptions. A spokesperson for Foulkes said she had worked to reduce opioid dispensing at CVS by nearly 40%, cut off more than 600 doctors described as “pill mill” prescribers and oversee a large drug takeback program. The spokesperson said Foulkes hopes settlement resources will support families affected by the crisis. The agreement is part of a broader wave of legal settlements involving drug manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies and other companies. Governments across the country have reached deals totaling more than $50 billion over the past decade, with much of the money intended to address the addiction and overdose crisis. The federal government has also reached opioid-related settlements with Walgreens and Walmart in recent years.