The US Department of Justice announced on May 13 that Omnicare Inc., a subsidiary of CVS, has agreed to pay a $15.3 million civil penalty.

The US Department of Justice announced on May 13 that Omnicare Inc., a subsidiary of CVS, has agreed to pay a $15.3 million civil penalty in regards to charges that it provided opioids and other controlled substances without a valid prescription to long-term care facilities. Omnicare was charged with violating the Controlled Substances Act in its handling of emergency prescriptions, controls over emergency kits, and processing of written prescriptions. The government stated that Omnicare allowed care facilities to dispense opioids from the kits without a doctor's prescription. The "emergency kits" often have addictive opioids and must be tightly controlled and tracked, according to the Department of Justice, and can only dispensed with a valid prescription. CVS Health acquired Omnicare Inc. in 2015 and both companies have admitted no wrong-doing or liability. A representative for CVS Health confirmed to Law360 that the matter was settled to avoid the expense of potential litigation, but there was no admission of wrongdoing.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.