Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Florida pharmacist sentenced to 30 months in prison for illegally distributing oxycodone by NBC2 News September 25, 2020

https://nbc-2.com/news/2020/09/24/florida-pharmacist-sentenced-to-30-months-in-prison-for-illegally-distributing-oxycodone/ 

Walmart Beats Ex-Pharmacist's Bid To Revive Opioid FCA Suit

https://www.law360.com/articles/1314403/walmart-beats-ex-pharmacist-s-bid-to-revive-opioid-fca-suit 

Piscataway Pharmacist Sentenced to 30 Months in Tax Fraud Scheme

Piscataway Pharmacist Sentenced to 30 Months in Tax Fraud Scheme: TRENTON, NJ — Rao Desu, the owner of a Piscataway pharmacy has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiring to defraud the IRS, announced U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito.

California adds rules to 'No Pharmacist Left Alone' law Maia Anderson - Thursday, September 24th, 2020

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/pharmacy/california-adds-rules-to-no-pharmacist-left-alone-law.html 

U.S.-Based Online Pharmacy First to Ship Abortion Pills to Patients Inside the U.S. 9/30/2020 by CARRIE N. BAKER

https://msmagazine.com/2020/09/30/honeybee-health-us-based-online-pharmacy-first-to-ship-abortion-pills-to-patients-inside-the-u-s/ 

Roanoke pharmacist admits to tampering with drug vials Jeff Sturgeon Sep 28, 2020

https://roanoke.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/roanoke-pharmacist-admits-to-tampering-with-drug-vials/article_ea5330bb-8cc4-50c7-8e42-cb9410872aad.html 

Pharmacy groups blast US importation of drugs from Canada APhA is warning about potential fallout from a new FDA rule, published September 25, that sanctions the import of prescription medicines from Canada. The Trump administration asserts that Americans will save money on their medications, but APhA fears the rule will compromise patient safety.

https://www.pharmacist.com/article/pharmacy-groups-blast-us-importation-drugs-canada 

Canadian PM, Pharmacy Groups Weigh In On Trump’s Drug Order

 /trumps-drug-order//khn.org/morning-breakout/canadian-pm-pharmacy-groups-weigh-in-on-

09-30-206:30 AMWORLD CHANGING IDEAS California could start its own line of generic drugs to bring down prescription prices Cal Rx would make drugs such as insulin and sell them to residents for cheaper than big pharma.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90558135/california-could-start-its-own-line-of-generic-drugs-to-bring-down-prescription-prices 

File Audit finds Utah pandemic prep not sufficient with ‘unclear chain of command’ By Katie McKellar, KSL | Posted - Sep. 30, 2020 at 11:17 a.m.

 However, despite concerns that the Utah pharmacy that sold 20,000 courses of the drugs to the state for $800,000 was price gouged, auditors concluded the price tag “appeared reasonable,” based on interviews with pharmacists and similar compounding pharmacies.https://www.ksl.com/article/50023283/audit-finds-utah-pandemic-prep-not-sufficient-with-unclear-chain-of-command

Lessons Learned in the Early Days of Telemedicine Prosecutions: Practical Tips for Defendants Facing Indictments

https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/lessons-learned-in-the-early-days-of-99952/ 

Opinions & observations: The Civil War drove medical innovation, and COVID-19 could, too

Opinions & observations: The Civil War drove medical innovation, and COVID-19 could, too: The current COVID-19 pandemic, the largest public health crisis in a century, threatens the health of people across the globe. The U.S. has had the most diagnosed cases – surpassing 6 million – and more than 180,000 deaths. But six months into the pandemic, the U.S. still faces shortages of personal protective equipment for both front-line medical workers and the …

Doctor in telemedicine case guilty

Doctor in telemedicine case guilty: A Dallas-area doctor pleaded guilty Friday in a Little Rock courtroom on a charge of obstructing a federal health care investigation and faces up to five years in prison, according to federal prosecutors.

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

 

State Lawsuit Alleges Law Firm Took Kickbacks From Pharmacy

19 hours ago - An investigation into Injured Workers Pharmacy dispensing practices led Healey's office to investigate. The firm cooperated with that unrelated investigation and " ...
18 hours ago - Pharmacy Podcast Network Todd S. Eury · Sexual Harassment in Pharmacy | Transforming a Nation · Pharmacists Leading in Public Health | Christina Madison, .

State Lawsuit alleges law firm took kickbacks from pharmacy

 

State lawsuit alleges law firm took kickbacks from ... - Boston

15 hours ago - An investigation into Injured Workers Pharmacy dispensing practices led Healey's office to investigate. The firm cooperated with that unrelated investigation and “ 
20 hours ago - Pharmacy groups are speaking out against a final rule from the FDA and HHS that allows importation of prescription drugs from Canada, which the White Hous

Would allowing U.S. citizens to buy drugs from other countries or allowing them to use compounded pharmacies for more of their needs be better in terms of safety and lower drug cost? Why? And which would be easier to regulate and monitor?

 

Pharmacy groups blast US importation of drugs from Canada

20 hours ago - Pharmacy groups are speaking out against a final rule from the FDA and HHS that allows importation of prescription drugs from Canada, which the White Hous

 

Pharmacy | An Open Access Journal from MDPI

10 hours ago - The research history of community pharmacists in Japan is short, and ethical responses may not be mature. Therefore, the Japan Pharmaceutical Association ..

 

FORM FDA 1932a

https://www.fda.gov/media/121602/downloadName of Suspected Product Is this a Compounded Product? Yes No Uncertain Diagnosis...Page 2 Manufacturer or Compounding Pharmacy/Compounder ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday, September 28, 2020

 

Arrest made in $1-million equine drug theft - Veterinary ...

Sep 10, 2020 - Arrest made in $1-million equine drug theft. FDA alleges the accused sold improperly handled horse medications to veterinarians and trainers in New York.

 

Sep 21, 2020 - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, the Agency, or we) is correcting a final rule that published in the Federal Register of July 29, 2020. That final rule ...

 

Drugs and supplements: Working together to manage ...

Sep 1, 2020 - Today, appropriate pain management in veterinary patients extends beyond the use of pure mu opioids or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

 

South Korea: Korea's Plan to Implement a Positive List System ...

Sep 11, 2020 - ... Korea: Korea's Plan to Implement a Positive List System for Veterinary Drugs ... efforts by Korea to update their veterinary drug safety management system

 

Client Information Sheets—Take-Home Safety Knowledge | FDA

Sep 3, 2020 - When your veterinarian prescribes a drug for your pet, it's sometimes hard to remember all the information discussed during the visit. Fortunately, for some drugs

 

News - Thailand Medical News

6 hours ago - Drugs News: A new study by researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh, ... issues and in some cases it might be also compounded

Doctor Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Telemedicine Investigation Relating to Compounded Medications

 Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney’s Office
Eastern District of Arkansas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, September 25, 2020

Doctor Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Telemedicine Investigation

      LITTLE ROCK-A Dallas-area doctor pled guilty this afternoon to obstructing a federal health care investigation. Cody Hiland, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Michael C. Mentavlos, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service Southwest Field Office, Patrick Roche, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General South Central Field Office, Miranda L. Bennett, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Diane Upchurch, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Little Rock Field Office, announced Dr. Lorraine De Blanche, 56, pled guilty this afternoon before U.S. District Judge Brian S. Miller.

      Patient complaints and a surge in claims for durable medical equipment (DME) and compounded prescription drugs triggered investigations into telemedicine fraud targeting federal insurers, including TRICARE, CHAMPVA, and Medicare. This prompted federal investigators to speak with medical providers linked to related DME claims and prescriptions.

      In March 2019, Special Agents from DCIS and VA-OIG interviewed Dr. De Blanche about her work for telemedicine companies in 2015 and 2016, while she was practicing in Little Rock. During the interview she acknowledged working for the companies at issue but willfully misled agents about her telemedicine consultations. Dr. De Blanche reported she always evaluated patients by telephone before determining whether or not compounded prescription drugs or DME were needed. As Dr. De Blanche would later admit, however, on repeated occasions she ordered the products without first consulting patients.

      U.S. Attorney Hiland stated “health care is a trillion-dollar industry. My office is committed to purging it of fraud. Serious consequences await those who hinder that task by misleading our partners in federal law enforcement.”

      “The Defense Criminal Investigative Service is committed to ensuring that TRICARE, the U.S. military healthcare program, continues to provide safe and superior medical care to America’s Warfighters,” said DCIS SAC Mentavlos. “Fraudulent telemedicine schemes not only expose beneficiaries to potential harm, but also waste valuable taxpayer dollars.”

      “CHAMPVA is a Department of Veterans Affairs health care benefit program for dependents of living veterans rated 100% disabled, for dependents of veterans whose death was service connected, and for dependents of veterans who were rated as 100% disabled when they died,” said VA-OIG ASAC Roche. “This guilty plea sends a clear message that there will be severe consequences for anyone who obstructs an investigation involving this important program.”

      “When doctors knowingly mislead investigators who are working to uncover fraudulent activity, they violate the trust placed in them by patients, taxpayers, and the government,” said HHS-OIG SAC Bennett. “Along with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to protect the integrity of federal healthcare programs.”

      “Each year, billions of dollars are lost and hundreds of lives are endangered in health care fraud schemes,” said FBI SAC Upchurch. “Dr. De Blanche willfully misled federal agents tasked with investigating one such scheme. Today’s guilty plea is the result of great work by our agents and partners at the DCIS, VA-OIG, and HHS-OIG.”

      Obstructing federal health care investigations is punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment. Under the terms of her plea agreement, Dr. De Blanche agreed to forfeit over $33,000.00 in telemedicine proceeds and pay a $180,000.00 fine. She will be sentenced at a later date.

      This case was investigated by DCIS, VA-OIG, HHS-OIG, and the FBI. Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander D. Morgan and Stephanie G. Mazzanti prosecuted the case for the United States.

Topic(s): 
Health Care Fraud