The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has brought an investigation into improper opioid prescriptions to a close.
OptumRx Inc., a leading prescription drug provider, was at the heart of the case. The company has agreed to pay a $20 million fine and make a host of internal changes in response to the DEA’s findings.
OptumRx pays the penalty
Operating out of California, the company had been supplying mail-order prescriptions that had brought the eyes of the government watchdog down upon them.
Between April 2013 and April 2015, the company had been blending highly addictive combinations of painkillers in single orders. These drugs combined made up what the DEA cited as a “trinity prescription” that did not go through the proper legal vetting system.
This is to negate the possibility that these mail-order drugs were not being sent to people or individuals that could harm or be a source of feeding addiction.
This combo of addictive drugs would raise a number of the watchdog’s alarms and bring the case to bear on the opioid prescriber. The DEA found in their investigation that despite the individuals ordering these trinity drugs flagging on the system, OptumRx carried out the process anyway.
Assistant Administrator Thomas W. Prevoznik of the DEA Diversion Control Division said, “The trinity style prescription combination helped fuel the start of the opioid addiction crisis and raises a red flag, which this registrant should have recognized and reacted to rather than putting profits before patients’ safety.”
The pharmacy neglected its duty to protect individuals and provide vital medicine to those who could responsibly use it.
During the DEA investigation, OptumRx closed its mail-order facility in Carlsbad, California. The pharmaceutical provider has also informed the DEA that it has imposed new measures to “assist in identifying and not filling prescriptions for dangerous opioid combinations and excess dosing.”
“Pharmacies are the last line of defense protecting the public from potentially dangerous and addictive medications,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath for Southern District of California. “Combating the opioid crisis on all fronts includes holding pharmacies accountable if they shirk any part of the responsibilities required in filling prescriptions for potentially harmful drugs.
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