Ohio joins in $269.2M settlement against Walgreens

COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced Ohio has joined the United States, the District of Columbia and other states in settling two whistleblower lawsuits totaling $262.9 million against Walgreens Boots Alliance (Walgreens).

The agreements resolve allegations that Walgreens knowingly engaged in fraudulent over-dispensing of insulin pens to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and billed Medicaid for certain prescription drugs at rates higher than its usual and customary rates.

Walgreens, headquartered in Deerfield, Ill., and incorporated in Delaware, operates the largest retail pharmacy chain in the United States with 8,309 locations across all 50 states.

Yost, through his office's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, participated in the investigations and negotiations leading to these settlements. Ohio will receive nearly $7 million in restitution.