DOJ slaps $20M opioid prescription penalty on OptumRx

DOJ slaps $20M opioid prescription penalty on OptumRx 
Fierce Healthcare; by Noah Tong; 7/2/24 
OptumRx will pay $20 million to resolve claims the company violated the Controlled Substances Act by improperly filling certain opioid prescriptions, the Department of Justice recently announced. The agency claims OptumRx did not fill prescriptions correctly for "trinity prescriptions" like benzodiazepines and other muscle relaxants from April 2013 to April 2015. These prescriptions, which are addictive, may not have been “intended for legitimate medical use” and carry “significant risk of harm,” according to a news release. “Pharmacies providing opioids and other controlled substances have a duty under the Controlled Substances Act to ensure that they fill prescriptions only for legitimate medical purposes,” said Principal Deputy Attorney General Brian Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, in a statement. “The department will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to ensure that pharmacies do not contribute to the opioid addiction crisis.”