iThe U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Consumer Protection Branch continues to use its joint civil and criminal authority under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to pursue pharmacies and pharmacists implicated in the opioid epidemic. Pharmacies and pharmacists will remain in the DOJ's crosshairs, and the risks of over-dispensing of opioids goes beyond even criminal prosecution, to include permanent civil remedies that can be devastating to the career of a pharmacist. Pharmacists and pharmacies would do well to evaluate and strengthen compliance measures around the dispensing of opioid medications, and to ensure that they know the providers they work with and monitor prescribing patterns for troubling trends.
Pursuant to an agreed consent judgment and permanent injunction, the court enjoined Zarzamora Healthcare LLC, doing business as Rite-Away Pharmacy & Medical Supply #2, along with pharmacist-owner Jitendra Chaudhary, from dispensing certain opioid prescriptions, including combination opioid and benzodiazepine prescriptions. The order also mandates that the defendants undergo periodic comprehensive reviews of their dispensing practices to ensure compliance with the order and the Controlled Substances Act.
