As you read the accusations of the DOJ on CVS, notice the words they use accused of … alleges … dangerous and excessive quantities of opioids… trinity cocktails… especially dangerous and abused combination of drugs made up of an opioid, a benzodiazepine and a muscle relaxant…. “known ‘pill mills.”… bearing the hallmarks of abuse and diversion… invalid prescriptions with red flags… what it called CVS’ unlawful practices and to prevent future violations…
THIS IS SUCH BS !!! Their allegations are nothing but the DOJ doing some statistical number crunching and them “counting” the number of “statistical out-liars” as determined by the DOJ or DEA.
There is no mention of a time frame, numbers of prescriptions or any other specific numbers
This year the SCOTUS overturned the Chevron Doctrine which means that federal agencies do not have the statutory authority to create new interpretations of the laws they are in charge of enforcing. In regards to the DEA, think about all the RED FLAGS that they have created during the last 5 decades.
How many prescriptions for opioids/opiates were filled over the last decade
National Opioid Prescribing Rates
- From 2013 to 2015, the annual opioid prescribing rates in the United States decreased from 81.2 prescriptions per 100 persons to 70.6 prescriptions per 100 persons
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- By 2019, the national opioid dispensing rate had further declined to 46.8 opioid prescriptions per 100 persons, and by 2023, it had dropped to 37.5 prescriptions per 100 persons
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Total Number of Prescriptions
To calculate the total number of opioid prescriptions, we need the total U.S. population and the prescribing rates per 100 persons.
- The U.S. population in 2013 was approximately 316 million, and by 2023 it was around 334 million.
- Using the average population over the decade, we can estimate the total number of prescriptions.
Example Calculation for 2019 and 2023
- In 2019: With a population of about 328 million and a rate of 46.8 prescriptions per 100 persons, the total number of opioid prescriptions would be:
328,000,000×46.8100≈15,358,400 prescriptions
- In 2023: With a population of about 334 million and a rate of 37.5 prescriptions per 100 persons, the total number of opioid prescriptions would be:
334,000,000×37.5100≈12,525,000 prescriptions
Average Annual Prescriptions Over the Decade
Given the declining trend, we can estimate an average annual number of prescriptions. Here is a rough estimate based on available data points:
- Average annual prescriptions from 2013 to 2015: Approximately 75-80 prescriptions per 100 persons (midpoint of 77.5)
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- Average annual prescriptions from 2019 to 2023: Approximately 42-46 prescriptions per 100 persons (midpoint of 44)
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Using these midpoints and the average U.S. population over the decade (around 326 million), we can estimate:
- For the period 2013-2015:
326,000,000×77.5100≈25,295,000 prescriptions per year
- For the period 2019-2023:
326,000,000×44100≈14,344,000 prescriptions per year
Total Over the Decade
Assuming a gradual decline from the higher rates in the early part of the decade to the lower rates in the latter part, we can estimate an average annual number of prescriptions. Let’s use a rough average of these two periods:
Over a decade (2013-2023), the total number of opioid prescriptions would be:
This is a rough estimate and actual numbers may vary based on more precise data and trends. However, it gives a general idea of the scale of opioid prescriptions filled over the last decade.
Citations:
[1] https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/66/wr/mm6626a4.htm
[2] https://www.cvshealth.com/news/pharmacy/cvs-health-fighting-national-opioid-abuse-epidemic-with-enterpri.html
[3] https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2781107
[4] https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/18/business/doj-cvs-opioid/index.html
[5] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-52032-4
[6] https://www.cdc.gov/overdose-prevention/data-research/facts-stats/opioid-dispensing-rate-maps.html
CVS knowingly dispensed ‘massive’ amount of invalid opioid prescriptions: DOJ lawsuit
The largest pharmacy chain in America is accused of “unlawfully dispensing massive quantities of opioids and other controlled substances to fuel its own profits at the expense of public health and safety,” according to a civil lawsuit filed by the Justice Department, which was unsealed Wednesday.
The DOJ lawsuit alleges that CVS has, for more than a decade, knowingly filled sometimes-dubious prescriptions for controlled substances that lacked a legitimate medical purpose, or were not valid.
Those prescriptions included “dangerous and excessive quantities of opioids” and “trinity cocktails” — a blend of “especially dangerous and abused combination of drugs made up of an opioid, a benzodiazepine and a muscle relaxant,” the suit stated.
The suit also accuses the company of filling “at least thousands of controlled substance prescriptions” penned by “known ‘pill mills.'”
In a statement to ABC News, CVS spokesperson Amy Thibault called the suit “misguided” and said company officials “strongly disagree with the allegations and false narrative” described in the DOJ suit and will “defend ourselves vigorously.”
DOJ’s lawsuit says CVS “contributed to the opioid crisis, a national public health emergency with devastating effects in the United States.” The suit went on to say: “These included illegitimate prescriptions for extremely high doses and excessive quantities of potent opioids that fed dependence and addiction, as well as illegitimate prescriptions for dangerous combinations of opioids and other drugs.“
The suit accuses CVS of ignoring sometimes “egregious red flags” about prescriptions “bearing the hallmarks of abuse and diversion.” The lawsuit points to performance metrics and incentive compensation policies that allegedly pressured pharmacists to “fill prescriptions as quickly as possible, without assessing their legitimacy” and corporate policies that allegedly prioritized speed over safety.
The suit claims CVS refused to implement compliance measures recommended by its own experts to reduce the number of invalid prescriptions with red flags “primarily due to fear that they would slow the speed of prescription filling and increase labor costs,” according to the suit.
The government is seeking civil penalties, injunctive relief and damages to address what it called CVS’ unlawful practices and to prevent future violations.
In her statement, Thibault, the CVS spokesperson, said the company has been an industry leader in fighting opioid misuse.
“Each of the prescriptions in question was for an FDA-approved opioid medication prescribed by a practitioner who the government itself licensed, authorized, and empowered to write controlled-substance prescriptions,” Thibault’s statement said.
She said the DOJ lawsuit “intensifies a serious dilemma for pharmacists, who are simultaneously second-guessed for dispensing too many opioids, and too few.”
Filed under: General Problems
Any pharmacy that follows corporate policies and fills the rx as submitted is a problem. Not looking at any aspect of the Rx, the corporate mentality is we will be in the clear if we fill the Rx as written. It didn’t used to be that way, thankfully it isn’t the way most independents practice.