Walmart has agreed to pay a $50 million settlement over allegations its pharmacies were illegally filling thousands of prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The government complaint, first filed at the end of President Donald Trump’s first term and amended during former President Joe Biden’s term, accused Walmart of violating the Controlled Substances Act.

“Today’s settlement proves this department is committed to putting Americans’ flourishing first,” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said in a statement. “Congress enacted laws to promote responsibility and accountability for companies who dispense controlled substances to protect Americans. 

“This department will never shy away from vigorously enforcing pharmacies’ obligations to comply with those protections, ensuring that potential profits never justify aiding our nation’s opioid epidemic.”

AS A US ATTORNEY, I SEE FENTANYL’S HORRIFYING TOLL UP CLOSE; CONGRESS MUST ACT NOW

Walmart has agreed to pay a $50 million settlement over allegations its pharmacies were illegally filling thousands of prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances, according to th DOJ and DEA. (Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images, File / Getty Images)

The complaint alleged that Walmart had been filling invalid prescriptions with the knowledge of pharmacists and its compliance team since June 2013.

Some Walmart pharmacists reported the alleged illegal activity to Walmart’s corporate compliance team, including through thousands of “refusal-to-fill” forms, the DOJ said.

“The compliance team, however, prioritized other goals over CSA compliance,” the DOJ said. 

“As one director on the compliance team acknowledged in an email, rather than analyzing the refusal-to-fill reports, the compliance team viewed ‘[d]riving sales and patient awareness,’ as ‘a far better use of our Market Directors and Market manger’s time.’”

WALMART MAKES CHANGES TO HOW MILLIONS OF CUSTOMERS CAN PAY AT CHECKOUT

Tablets of the opioid painkiller Oxycodone. (Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images, File / Getty Images)

Pharmacists also allegedly knowingly filled invalid prescriptions from “pill mill” prescribers or prescriptions that had red flags, such as dangerous opioid and nonopioid “cocktails,” repeated early fill requests of frequently abused drugs or high-dosages of opioids, according to the DOJ.

As part of the settlement, the DOJ said Walmart had entered into an agreement to establish a hotline for employees and patients to report suspected illegal activity.

Some Walmart pharmacists reported the alleged illegal activity to the retail giant’s corporate compliance team. (iStock / iStock)

The company must also proactively monitor pharmacy dispensing patterns.

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Walmart did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment. 

Unknown Executive

Dear analysts and investors, good morning. Welcome all of you to come to this 2025 Annual Conference of Global Investors (sic) [ JS Global Lifestyle Company. ] I am [ Jiaohui Zhao ] from our investment department, and this is conducted in Chinese. If you require English interpreting, please switch to English channel. And because there are so many participants today [Operator Instructions]. Thank you so much for cooperation and understanding.

Before the meeting begins, I would like to make a few routine reminders. First, the conference will be recorded. The relevant meeting material will also be published on the company’s official website. You’re welcome to review them after the meeting.

Second, the management’s remarks may contain forward-looking statements regarding future operations. Such statements are subject to uncertainties and actual results may differ from those statements. We also may refer to some certain non-IFRS measures to better present business performance. Please refer to the definition and methodologies provided. So we will get it officially started. The agenda will be as follows: first, management will provide a brief overview of the annual results and the business progress, and then we will come to — there’s a Q&A session to communicate with investors and analysts.

Now first, please allow me to introduce the company’s management today. They are: Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Ms. Han Run; Chief Operating Officer and Head of Finance Office, Mr. Liu Ningqing; Head of Finance of this Joyoung Division, Mr. Kan Jiangang.

Zhiheng Wang
President, Executive Vice Chairman of the Board & Chief Compliance Officer

Welcome to 2026 interim results announcement. I am very happy to be here with media friends, analysts, and the investors. Hereby, I would like to extend a warm welcome for you active participation, and also, I would like to express active statements for your long-term support for Agricultural Bank of China. Present at today’s press conference are Vice Governor Lin Li, Wang Dajun, and Board Secretary Liu Qing. We are also joined by the directors who join us online. Here, I would like to extend to you three aspects.

First of all, the operational performance of Agriculture Bank of China. 2026 is the third year of 14th, 5-year plan. The Agriculture Bank of China earnestly implemented the decisions and arrangement of CPC Central Committee and the State Council deeply has practiced the political and people-oriented financial work adhered to the main line of preventing risk and promoting high-quality development. Here, I would like to share with you the five figures for the operational performance of our bank.

The profit growth rate exceeded 5% in the first half year. Net profit had grown by 5.8%, an increase of 1 percentage point compared to the first quarter, and our operating income increased by 11.2% year-on-year, an increase of 0.7 percentage points compared to the first quarter, showing good growth momentum. Also, we — in the first half year, the return on net assets was 10.14%, maintaining a leading

Operator

Welcome to Zomedica’s Fourth Friday at Four Investor Webinar. Today’s session is titled Zomedica International, Building a Global Platform for Veterinary Innovation, a focused look at the strategy, the partners and the global opportunity driving the company’s next phase of growth. Before we begin, I want to remind current and potential investors that we will be making various remarks about future expectations, plans and prospects that are considered forward-looking statements. There are risks that actual results may differ from these statements. We refer you to the safe harbor statement on screen or to the Risk Factors sections of our public filings, which can be found on our website under Investor filings, EDGAR and SEDAR+.

The statements are made as of today, August 28, 2026, and reflect our expectations as of today. Thank you for joining us for Zomedica’s investor webinar series. We’re excited to have you with us as we take a closer look at our company, our innovative product platforms and the passionate people driving our success. This series is designed to give you a deeper understanding of how we’re delivering value to veterinarians and to our shareholders.

At Zomedica, our mission is to deliver innovative diagnostic and therapeutic technologies that empower veterinarians to focus on what they love most, enhancing pet care and improving pet parent satisfaction. Equally important, we help vets with what they need most, streamlining workflow, increasing cash flow and boosting practice profitability.

At Zomedica, our mission is guided by what we call our 5 pillars. These are core