US Government Files Lawsuit , Against Rite Aid for Contributing to , the Opioid Crisis.<br />On March 13, the United States government sued Rite Aid Corp, <br />claiming that the pharmacy chain missed "red flags" while filling <br />hundreds of thousands of prescriptions for controlled substances.<br />On March 13, the United States government sued Rite Aid Corp, <br />claiming that the pharmacy chain missed "red flags" while filling <br />hundreds of thousands of prescriptions for controlled substances.<br />NBC reports that the complaint filed by the Department of Justice alleges that prescriptions were filled that were medically unnecessary.<br />NBC reports that the complaint filed by the Department of Justice alleges that prescriptions were filled that were medically unnecessary.<br />The complaint also alleges that these prescriptions <br />for controlled substances, including opioids, <br />were filled between May of 2014 and June of 2019.<br />The Justice Department is using <br />every tool at our disposal to confront <br />the opioid epidemic that is killing <br />Americans and shattering <br />communities across the country, Merrick Garland, United States Attorney General, via NBC.<br />According to the lawsuit, Rite Aid pharmacists ignored obvious signs of abuse and intentionally deleted <br />internal warnings regarding suspicious prescribers.<br />According to the lawsuit, Rite Aid pharmacists ignored obvious signs of abuse and intentionally deleted <br />internal warnings regarding suspicious prescribers.<br />One of the nation's largest <br />pharmacy chains, Rite Aid, operates <br />over 2,330 stores across 17 states.<br />'NYT' reports that the Justice Department also accuses <br />the pharmacy chain of violating the federal False <br />Claims Act in regard to government healthcare programs.<br />Along with Rite Aid, the Justice Department has also filed <br />lawsuits against Walmart Inc and drug distributor <br />AmerisourceBergen Corp for their alleged roles in the opioid crisis.<br />Along with Rite Aid, the Justice Department has also filed <br />lawsuits against Walmart Inc and drug distributor <br />AmerisourceBergen Corp for their alleged roles in the opioid crisis.<br />Between 1999 and 2020, over 500,000 people <br />died of drug overdoses in the United States. .<br />According to the U.S. Centers for Disease <br />Control and Prevention, in 2020 alone, <br />over 90,000 people died from overdoses
