Department of Justice Accuses Rite Aid For Ignoring Obvious Signs Of Opioid Misuse

The U.S. government reportedly sued Rite Aid Corp RAD, saying the company missed "red flags" as it illegally filled prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids.
The Justice Department joined a whistleblower lawsuit filed in 2019 by two pharmacists and a pharmacy technician from Rite Aid stores in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and West Virginia.
The Justice Department accused Rite Aid of violating the federal False Claims Act by submitting false prescription claims to government healthcare programs, Reuters reported.
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In a complaint filed in Cleveland federal court, the Department of Justice said Rite Aid repeatedly filled prescriptions from May 2014 to June 2019 for medically unnecessary, off-label use or not issued in the usual course of professional practice for "trinities," a combination of opioids, benzodiazepine, and muscle relaxants preferred by drug abusers for their increased euphoric effect.
The Justice Department also said Rite Aid intentionally deleted some pharmacists' internal warnings about suspicious prescribers, such as "cash only pill mill?"
"These practices opened the floodgates for millions of opioid pills and other controlled substances to flow illegally out of Rite Aid's stores," Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said.
Price Action: RAD shares closed at $3.28 on Monday.