CVS Caremark Corporation (CVS)

COUNSEL TO THE BORROWER

June     , 2005

The Lenders, the Co-Syndication Agents,

the Documentation Agent and

the Administrative Agent Referred to Below

c/o The Bank of New York,

as Administrative Agent

One Wall Street

New York, New York 10286

Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am general counsel of CVS Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Borrower”), and have acted as such in connection with the Five Year Credit Agreement, dated as of June     , 2005, by and among the Borrower, the lenders party thereto, Bank of America, N.A., Credit Suisse First Boston and Wachovia Bank, National Association, as Co-Syndication Agents, SunTrust Bank, as Documentation Agent, and The Bank of New York, as Administrative Agent (the “Credit Agreement”). Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Credit Agreement.

I have examined originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to my satisfaction, of such documents, corporate records, certificates of public officials and other instruments and have conducted such other investigations of fact and law as I have deemed necessary or advisable for purposes of this opinion. In rendering my opinions set forth below, I have assumed (i) the due authorization, execution and delivery by all parties thereto (other than the Borrower) of the Credit Agreement, (ii) the authenticity of all documents submitted to me as originals and (iii) the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to me as copies.

Based upon the foregoing, I am of the opinion that:

1. The Borrower is a corporation duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware. The Borrower has all requisite corporate power and authority to own its Property and to carry on its business as now conducted.

2. The Borrower is qualified to do business as a foreign corporation and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which it owns or leases real Property or in which the nature of its

business requires it to be so qualified (except those jurisdictions where the failure to be so qualified or to be in good standing could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse effect).

3. The execution, delivery and performance by the Borrower of the Credit Agreement and the Notes are within the Borrower’s corporate powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Borrower.

4. The execution, delivery and performance by the Borrower of the Credit Agreement and Notes do not require any action or approval on the part of the shareholders of the Borrower or any action by or in respect of, or filing with, any governmental body, agency or official under United States federal law or the Delaware General Corporation Law, and do not contravene, or constitute a default under, any provision of (i) United States federal law or the Delaware General Corporation Law, (ii) the Certificate of Incorporation or bylaws of the Borrower or (iii) any existing material mortgage, material indenture, material contract or material agreement, in each case binding on the Borrower or any Subsidiary or affecting the Property of the Borrower or any Subsidiary.

5. The Credit Agreement and the Notes delivered by the Borrower on or prior to the date hereof have been duly executed and delivered by the Borrower and each constitutes the valid and binding agreement of the Borrower, in each case enforceable in accordance with their respective terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar laws from time to time in effect affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and to general principles of equity.

6. The Borrower is not an “investment company” (as such term is defined in the United States Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended).

7. To the best of my knowledge, there are no actions, suits, arbitration proceedings or claims (whether purportedly on behalf of the Borrower, any Subsidiary or otherwise) pending or threatened against the Borrower or any Subsidiary or any of their respective Properties, or maintained by the Borrower or any Subsidiary, at law or in equity, before any Governmental Authority which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse effect. To the best of my knowledge, there are no proceedings pending or threatened against the Borrower or any Subsidiary (a) which call into question the validity or enforceability of, or otherwise seek to invalidate, any Loan Document or (b) which could reasonably be expected to, individually or in the aggregate, materially and adversely affect any of the transactions contemplated by any Loan Document (it being understood that the Eckerd Acquisition is not a transaction contemplated by any Loan Document for purposes of this clause (b)).

8. To the best of my knowledge, the Borrower is not in default under any agreement to which it is a party or by which it or any of its Property is bound the effect of which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse effect.

9. To the best of my knowledge, no provision of any judgment, decree or order, in each case binding on the Borrower or any Subsidiary or affecting the Property of the Borrower or

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any Subsidiary conflicts with, or requires any consent which has not already been obtained under, or would in any way prevent the execution, delivery or performance by the Borrower of the terms of, any Loan Document.

The foregoing opinion is subject to the following qualifications:

(a) I express no opinion as to the effect (if any) of any law of any jurisdiction (except the Commonwealth of Massachusetts) in which any Lender is located which may limit the rate of interest that such Lender may charge or collect.

(b) I express no opinion as to provisions in the Credit Agreement which purport to create rights of set-off in favor of participants or which provide for set-off to be made otherwise than in accordance with applicable laws.

(c) I note that public policy considerations or court decisions may limit the rights of any party to obtain indemnification under the Credit Agreement.

I am a member of the bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the foregoing opinion is limited to the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the federal law of the United States of America and the Delaware General Corporation Law. For purposes of paragraph 5 of this opinion, I have assumed that, with your permission and without any research or investigation, the laws of the State of New York are identical to the law of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

This opinion is rendered solely to you in connection with the above matter. This opinion may not be relied upon by you for any other purpose or relied upon by any other person without my prior written consent, except that any person that becomes a Lender in accordance with the provisions of the Credit Agreement may rely upon this opinion as if it were specifically addressed and delivered to such person on the date hereof.

Very truly yours,

Zenon P. Lankowsky

General Counsel and Secretary

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