Drug Distributor McKesson Pays Record Penalty For Suspicious Opioid Orders

Drug distributor McKesson will pay a record $150 million civil penalty and also suspend sales of controlled substances from distribution centers in four states over allegations that it has once again failed to detect and report suspicious orders of controlled substances (see:McKesson finalizes $150 million settlement for failure to report suspicious opioid orders). An excerpt from this article is below:The nationwide settlement also imposes “new and enhanced compliance obligations” on McKesson's distribution system....The latest announcement follows a 2008 settlement in which McKesson agreed to a $13.25 million civil penalty and committed to come up with an “effective system” to detect and report suspicious orders for controlled substances distributed to its independent and small-chain pharmacy customers. The Justice Department says McKesson designed a compliance program but failed to fully implement or adhere to it, resulting in the latest penalties. Under the new agreement, McKesson must hire an independent monitor to assess its compliance. This is the first time the government has required such a monitor in a civil penalty settlement related to the Controlled Substances Act....Woonsocket, R.I.-based drug store chain CVS Health and distributor Cardinal Health have also settled similar violations with the federal government. Cardinal also settled with the state of West Virginia earlier this month to resolve allegations that the company failed to...
Source: Lab Soft News - Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Healthcare Business Medical Consumerism Medical Ethics Pharmaceutical Industry Public Health Informatics Source Type: blogs