Authorities for Alberta Health Services (AHS), located in Edmonton, recently announced another major pharmaceutical error, which this time may have impacted some 186 sick children. This is the third major pharmaceutical/compounding error that has been announced within the Canadian healthcare system within the past month. According to a statement from…
Canadian officials recently announced their discovery that over 1,000 patients undergoing chemotherapy over the past year have received diluted versions of their medications. Affected patients were receiving treatment for breast, lung and bladder cancers. Seventeen patients at one hospital alone have died since beginning treatment. One center reported more than…
The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs has announced that it has reached a deal with CVS-Caremark regarding several incidents involving commingled prescription medications. Under the agreement, CVS will contribute $650,000 to go toward establishing programs regarding prescription drug safety and abuse. The incidents took place over a four month…
A Seattle woman suffering from multiple sclerosis, who also recently underwent hip surgery, went to her local pharmacy to have her prescriptions filled. When the woman went to take her pills, she noticed that something was a bit off. She knew that thecapsule was supposed to be white and green…
A pharmacy resisted a subpoena from Illinois regulators seeking information on medication errors, citing a federal law that encourages pharmacies to track medication errors, but protects the confidentiality of those records. The trial court agreed with the pharmacy’s position in Department of Financial and Professional Regulation v. Walgreen Company, 970…
A woman who lost one of her eyes after eye surgery got a new trial after her case went before the Iowa Court of Appeals. After a trial in Whitley v. C.R. Pharmacy Service, Inc., a jury originally returned a verdict in favor of the defendant pharmacy. The plaintiff appealed,…
Drug shortages are affecting hospitals and pharmacies around the country. The reasons range from supply problems preventing the production of drugs, to business decisions made by pharmaceutical companies that reduce or discontinue production of certain drugs. Some critically important medications, like drugs used to treat cancer, are often in short…
An appellate court in Illinois has rejected an effort by the state’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (DFPR) to obtain quality control reports from a pharmacy. Walgreens Pharmacy refused to comply with a subpoena from DFPR seeking information on several pharmacists under investigation. Walgreens argued that producing the reports…
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) has suspended a major pharmaceutical distributor from shipping or selling certain painkillers and other medications from a Florida facility as part of a settlement with the company. Two Florida pharmacies have also had their controlled substance licenses suspended. The DEA’s investigation centered on large…
A child in Henrico County, Virginia suffered a serious overdose after a mixup of two drugs with similar names caused him to receive a powerful painkiller instead of his intended medication. The child reportedly recovered fully, but required hospitalization and gave his family and doctors quite a scare. Although there…