The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York and the Drug Enforcement Administration announced that a national retail pharmacy chain agreed to pay $1.5 million to resolve civil penalty claims under the federal Controlled Substances Act. The investigation focused on certain of the chain's pharmacy stores in Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island.
According to the government, the stores allegedly failed to timely report the loss or theft of controlled substances, including hydrocodone, an opioid described as one of the most commonly diverted controlled substances. The Controlled Substances Act requires pharmacies to report such losses or thefts promptly so that the DEA can investigate. The settlement resolved the government's claims and is not a finding of liability.
The government said the violations were identified by DEA diversion investigators working with the U.S. Attorney's Office through regulatory actions. The case was part of the office's Prescription Drug Initiative, launched in January 2012 with the DEA and local law enforcement partners to respond to opioid abuse, which the office said had produced more than 160 criminal prosecutions and civil enforcement actions against a hospital, a pharmacy and a pharmacy chain.
Officials framed the settlement as a signal that large chain pharmacies are being held to federal reporting requirements, describing prompt reporting of lost or stolen prescription drugs as a tool for reducing the availability of addictive medications in the community.