Oak Hill pharmacy has registration suspended for improperly dispensing prescription drugs
OAK HILL, W.Va. — Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration began raiding the Oak Hill Hometown Pharmacy Thursday morning in Fayette County as the pharmacy faces civil charges.
Mike Stuart, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, stood alongside DEA officials Thursday morning at the Robert C. Byrd Federal Courthouse in Charleston to announce the pharmacy has had their DEA certificate of registration suspended for prescription drug abuse.
Stuart said the message is clear that prescribing controlled drugs is a privilege and not a right.
Mike Stuart“Every pharmacy that fills prescriptions of scheduled narcotics has a corresponding responsibility to assure that those prescriptions do not include unresolvable red flags and are for a legitimate medical purpose,” he said.
The suspension is based on improper dispensing from at least December 2016 to March 2019, of certain prescription drugs including Subutex, an opioid replacement.
The order said “Pursuant to Sections 303 and 304 of the Controlled Substances Act, Title 21, United States Code, Sections 823 and 824, Oak Hill Hometown Pharmacy has had its DEA Certificate of Registration suspended because it constitutes an ‘imminent danger to the public health or safety.’”
Stuart’s office said the pharmacy filled approximately 2,000 prescriptions for Subutex, a widely-abused Schedule III narcotic, with numerous red flags and diversion. The pharmacy is registered with the DEA to handle substances in Schedules II through V.
The red flags according to the DEA were over half the prescriptions came from an out-of-state clinic located almost 200 miles away from its 819 Main Street East location Oak Hill. The pharmacy’s customers drove long distances to obtain and fill prescriptions, in some cases more than 600 miles. Stuart also said many of those customers paid in cash.
Stuart’s office revealed more details about the prescriptions that included they were issued by out-of-state physicians and approximately 96-percent of the prescriptions were paid for in cash. Added that multiple patients frequently presented prescriptions that had been written on the same day and the patients traveled long distances for even partial refills.
The suspension of the pharmacy’s registration will continue until a final determination is reached. During the suspension of the pharmacy, under the ownership of Martin Njoku, it may not fill any prescriptions for Schedule II through Schedule V narcotics.
Stuart said regular patients at the pharmacy will be directed to state Department of Health and Human Resources to get prescriptions filled.
“It’s very important the folks who have legitimate prescriptions be able to get those prescriptions,” he said. “We don’t want anybody to go without essential medicines needed for their health.”
There is a possibility of criminal charges down the road but currently it remains civil charges, according to Stuart.
“Oak Hill Hometown Pharmacy will have an opportunity to show cause before the DEA at a location to be determined on October 15, 2019, as to why its registration should not be revoked,” Stuart said.
The release stated that within 30 days after the date the pharmacy received its Order to Show Cause and Immediate Suspension of Registration, the pharmacy may file a written request for a hearing or file a waiver of hearing with a written statement regarding its perspective on the matters of fact and law involved in the Order.
Failure to do so results in the pharmacy waiving its right to a hearing and a final order may be issued.
Filed under: General Problems
Its getting harder an harder to get my script filled in N.Y. because the idiots added a tax to pain medicine. The distributors of medicine refuse to deliver in state until the money grabbers rescind the absurd blackmail .for that reason I might have to go out of state. I think its time for 3 stooges way of thinking and start cracking the heads of these “mob bosses” in N.Y. It worked for Moe..Might be only way to get through to these slimeballs
Some patients have been forced to drive hundreds of miles to get prescriptions filled sometimes. I don’t see the issue if it’s a legally written prescription.
Paying in cash is also been necessary for some patients to get their meds. Insurance is refusing to pay.
What are people supposed to do?
So anyone without insurance is flagged for paying cash?? Amazing!!
Connie;
I know, ain’t it great? We’ve sailed beyond “surreal” & even beyond “Kafkaesque.” But of course, rich & powerful people have great insurance so they won’t be bothered with this wrinkle (or any others) which is the only important thing these days.
The hysteriacs are completely ignoring the fact that suboxone & buprenorphine are widely abused (bupe since the 80s…I didn’t even realize it’d been around that long). Clearly, the $$$$ trail is strong on this one.
Are these morons EVER going to learn that it’s not possible to ban all potentially addictive substances or to legislate away addiction, that all they’re ever going to do is screw up people who AREN’T problems? Never mind; I know the answer to that already.