CVS agreed on Tuesday to pay $315 million to settle a federal case over opioid prescriptions, the Justice Department said.

The government said CVS pharmacies filled prescriptions for opioids and other strong drugs that had no real medical use. It said this went on from 2013 to 2025. Some were risky mixes of drugs, such as the so-called "trinity" of an opioid, a sedative and a muscle relaxant, the AP reported. The department said many of those prescriptions were billed to Medicaid and other federal health programs.

The Justice Department sued CVS in December 2024 in Rhode Island, where the company is based. The suit said low staffing, sales targets and bonus rules pushed pharmacists to work fast, the AP reported. As a result, they often did not check that prescriptions were valid. Part of the case began with Hillary Estright, a former CVS employee, who filed a whistleblower suit.

CVS also signed a deal with the Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA. It must set up a hotline where staff and the public can report drugs being handed out illegally. Outside monitors will also check how the company handles these drugs, Bloomberg Law reported.

Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward called the deal "a significant milestone" in the fight against the opioid crisis, the AP reported.

CVS did not admit wrongdoing. "We strongly disagree with the claims made in this case," a company spokesperson told Bloomberg Law, adding that CVS was pleased to put the case behind it.

The case is one of many opioid deals. Over the last 10 years, drug makers, drug sellers and pharmacies have agreed to pay more than $50 billion in deals with U.S. governments, the AP reported. The federal government has also reached deals in the last two years with Walgreens and Walmart.

What we know: CVS will pay $315 million and must follow new DEA rules, without admitting wrongdoing.
What we don't: How much of the money the whistleblower will receive.