Louisiana Files Lawsuits Alleging Pharmaceutical Giant CVS Deceived Customers in Text Messages [View all]

Source: US News and World Report/AP

June 24, 2025, at 5:50 p.m.


NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana filed several lawsuits accusing pharmaceutical giant CVS of abusing customer information and using its dominant market position to drive up drug costs and unfairly undermine independent pharmacies, the state’s attorney general said Tuesday.

Attorney General Liz Murrill began investigating CVS after the company sent out mass text messages to thousands of residents on June 11 to lobby against legislation that took aim at its business structure. The texts warned that medication costs could go up and all CVS pharmacies in the state would close.

The lawsuits, which were filed Monday in central Louisiana’s St. Landry Parish, seek “injunctive relief, civil penalties and restitution," Murrill said. CVS “abused customers’ sensitive information to push a political message,” Republican Gov. Jeff Landry said Tuesday at a press conference.

He noted CVS had lobbied his wife over text via the same messaging chain normally used to notify her about picking up a prescription drug or other healthcare-related matters. One lawsuit argues that the text message lobbying constituted “unfair or deceptive acts" in violation of state trade law. CVS has denied any wrongdoing.

Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2025-06-24/louisiana-files-lawsuits-alleging-pharmaceutical-giant-cvs-deceived-customers-in-text-messages