NEW YORK (Standard&Poor's) Oct. 15, 2010--Standard&Poor's Ratings Services said today that CVS Caremark Corp.'s (BBB+/Negative/A-2) announcement that it has reached agreements with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Attorneys' Offices for the Central District of California and District of Nevada will not affect Standard&Poor's ratings or outlook on the company. The settlement regards allegations that, in 2007 and 2008, certain CVS/pharmacy stores in California and Nevada engaged in unlawful sales of pseudoephedrine (PSE). CVS agreed to pay the government $75 million in civil penalties and $2.6 million in profit forfeitures. Although this incident reflected a lack of effective internal control in monitoring PSE sales, CVS said they have strengthened its internal
