CVS Agrees to Pay $22 Million to Resolve Allegations on Painkillers

CVS Health Corp has agreed to pay $22 million to resolve a federal investigation into whether two of its pharmacies in Florida sold oxycodone pills that were not prescribed for legitimate medical purposes, Reuters reports.

In September 2012 the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) revoked the licenses to dispense controlled substances for two CVS pharmacies in Florida, after accusing them of dispensing excessive amounts of oxycodone.

Earlier that year, the DEA said the two pharmacies were “filling prescriptions far in excess of the legitimate needs of its customers.” While the average pharmacy in the United States in 2011 ordered approximately 69,000 oxycodone dosage units, these two pharmacies, located about 5.5 miles apart, together ordered more than three million dosage units during the same year, according to the DEA.

According to a DEA news release, “CVS acknowledged that its retail pharmacies had a responsibility to dispense only those prescriptions that were issued based on legitimate medical need. CVS further acknowledged that certain of its retail stores dispensed certain controlled substances in a manner not fully consistent with their compliance obligations under the Controlled Substances Act and the related regulations.”

The DEA said the settlement caps off an investigation that began as part of agency’s crackdown on pill mills in Florida.