CVS Pharmacy Fined $75 Million for Allowing Large Quantities of Pseudoephedrine Sales in Violation of Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act

Come on CVS this is frakking unacceptable and I, for one, will NOT shop at your stores for a while. What don’t you understand about the law?

CVS Pharmacy Inc. has agreed to pay $75-million in fines for allowing repeated purchases of a key ingredient in the making of methamphetamine in at least five states that also led to a spike in Southern California drug trafficking, authorities said Thursday.

The largest U.S. operator of retail pharmacies will pay what federal prosecutors said is the largest civil penalty under the Controlled Substances Act.

The company also will forfeit about $2.6-million in profits earned from the sales of pseudoephedrine, which can often be found in cold medicine and is used to make meth.

Authorities said CVS didn’t provide enough safeguards to monitor how much pseudoephedrine someone was buying, and the company violated federal drug regulations Arizona, Georgia, California, Nevada, and South Carolina and possibly 20 other states.

“This case shows what happens when companies fail to follow their ethical and legal responsibilities,” said U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. “CVS knew it had a duty to prevent methamphetamine trafficking, but it failed to take steps to control the sale of a regulated drug used by methamphetamine cooks as an essential ingredient for their poisonous stew.”

The company was expected to pay the $75-million fine by Friday. The remaining forfeiture is due within 30 days.

I mean isn’t this enough incentive to obey the law?

Methamorphosis as a result of chronic Methamphetamine abuse

Thanks CVS for turning your back on your American customers.

Some executive at CVS should be prosecuted criminally for this gross megligence and maybe this will wise up the industry to obey the law.

6 Comments

Victoria

October 15, 2010 at 8:01 am

o my god 🙁

David

October 15, 2010 at 9:05 pm

I find this news item so very, very disturbing. For a number of reasons. 1) Right is right, and wrong is wrong. What CVS did is so very, very wrong. 2) I’m a health-care worker, and to think that other health-care workers (pharmacists and their supervisors) were so blatantly working to destroy their clients’ health–just because they wanted a few filthy dollars!–this makes me want to puke! 3) The most strongly felt reason for my disturbance relates to a grave which we visited in Oregon a few weeks ago. The grave of a very good friend of ours–a noble 52-year-old man who was shot to death by his own son, who was so high on meth that he didn’t even know (until he “dried out”) that he’d done the dreadful deed. No, this young fellow perhaps did not buy his meth from a CVS store–but then again, perhaps he did: I do not know. In any case, to think that CVS was knowingly destroying people’s lives, all to pad their own little pockets is a most revolting thing!

I’m glad that they were fined $75 million. If they actually pay that fee, where will the money go? To the victims whose lives they destroyed and/or damaged? I think it would be better if the company had been forced, by the law, to shut down.

Since that didn’t happen, I implore all Americans to see to it that the chain closes soon. Boycott them! Vote against them with your feet–by taking your feet into any other pharmacy than CVS.

chinov

October 17, 2010 at 5:27 pm

I understand your prostration towards to CVS Pharmancy Comp. They were ask to pay 75 millions dollars fine for their actions. i personally can’t believe and was in shock that the company that i work for is doing this just earn a couple of dollars. But to ask for this company to shut down is not fair for those who make a leaving working to this company on a minimum wages. The fact that you lost a very good friend because someone is under influence of drugs that doesn’t mean its the manufacturer or company/store fault.. Someone have taken your friends life and if there is someone who have to pay for that is the person who killed him. which is his son.. you said it your self that you don’t know if he purchase it or not to CVS to get high that doesn’t means that they are to blame other than by selling it without complying to the law.

Phillipkaman

March 15, 2011 at 1:53 am

Yes and with this large fine comes the fact that CVS Pharmacy is cutting the hours of their employess and making the customers wait in long lines for over priced items that you can find at WalMart and Target stores for less than the CVS advertised prcies, it’s all a game about profits over people.Just check into any CVS Pharmacy and look for your friendly cashier, that is if they are still employeed there and have NOT been fired over petty A$$ complaints by many uneducated and foolish customers that can’t read the ads and just love to bitch and complain to get their way. I will never shop at a CVS pharmacy, knowing how over priced they are and how mean they treat they hard working employes.

Patrick Weaver

June 13, 2011 at 4:00 am

I currently work for CVS myself and i can tell you that the “Budget” for employee hours is going to pay for this indeed… cut the working persons hours to take care of their mishaps… in my store there are no more then 2 people on register and we have to deal with the attitudes and ignorance like you mentioned of the customers and the management will give us a write up we never see or sign… and the treatment of 98% of the people i work with including myself is VERY POOR only way to get those promotions is by kissing A** like the ones who got where they are in my store i have been there longer and i am certified in Customer sales and Retail Services but like that matters to them, but my only promotions from crew to photo tech to Photo lab supervisor was to Head Cashier… a step down not a step up. yeah promotion. the only other thing they care about as well is the Triple S Score… if i knew then what i know now about this Evil Empire i would not have signed on almost 3 years ago… a job is a job we all need to eat and feed our families, but not at your own health or mental stress & well being and trust me i go through alot of mental and emotional stress because of that place thanks to management. there is a lot of DIRTY Dealings in our own stores as well as on the corporate level. all in all CVS is not a worthy company to work for even if the pictures in the ads, and CVS propaganda they show us how Wonderful the company is to work for… Why dont they tell us the REAL truth instead of lies? just like the store i work at the rest of this company is just not worth it.

Thoffman

March 25, 2011 at 3:07 am

I work for CVS. They have a very lax attitude about custoner service and safety. A big concern I have is for their views on expired products. I am told when I do expiration checks to not bother checking all products just one or two here and there is good enough for them. We have recieved expired goods in our shipments from our warehouse of course they didn’t say anything till after the product had been put out on shelves and sold to customers. I rarely finish the assigned expiration checks because I will not allow this attitude to persist. The manager will sign the paperwork saying the check has been completed even though I never finished. I would like to rant about their treatment of employees but that would be off subject.

Victoria

October 15, 2010 at 8:01 am

o my god 🙁
David

October 15, 2010 at 9:05 pm

I find this news item so very, very disturbing. For a number of reasons. 1) Right is right, and wrong is wrong. What CVS did is so very, very wrong. 2) I’m a health-care worker, and to think that other health-care workers (pharmacists and their supervisors) were so blatantly working to destroy their clients’ health–just because they wanted a few filthy dollars!–this makes me want to puke! 3) The most strongly felt reason for my disturbance relates to a grave which we visited in Oregon a few weeks ago. The grave of a very good friend of ours–a noble 52-year-old man who was shot to death by his own son, who was so high on meth that he didn’t even know (until he “dried out”) that he’d done the dreadful deed. No, this young fellow perhaps did not buy his meth from a CVS store–but then again, perhaps he did: I do not know. In any case, to think that CVS was knowingly destroying people’s lives, all to pad their own little pockets is a most revolting thing!

I’m glad that they were fined $75 million. If they actually pay that fee, where will the money go? To the victims whose lives they destroyed and/or damaged? I think it would be better if the company had been forced, by the law, to shut down.

Since that didn’t happen, I implore all Americans to see to it that the chain closes soon. Boycott them! Vote against them with your feet–by taking your feet into any other pharmacy than CVS.
chinov

October 17, 2010 at 5:27 pm

I understand your prostration towards to CVS Pharmancy Comp. They were ask to pay 75 millions dollars fine for their actions. i personally can’t believe and was in shock that the company that i work for is doing this just earn a couple of dollars. But to ask for this company to shut down is not fair for those who make a leaving working to this company on a minimum wages. The fact that you lost a very good friend because someone is under influence of drugs that doesn’t mean its the manufacturer or company/store fault.. Someone have taken your friends life and if there is someone who have to pay for that is the person who killed him. which is his son.. you said it your self that you don’t know if he purchase it or not to CVS to get high that doesn’t means that they are to blame other than by selling it without complying to the law.
Phillipkaman

March 15, 2011 at 1:53 am

Yes and with this large fine comes the fact that CVS Pharmacy is cutting the hours of their employess and making the customers wait in long lines for over priced items that you can find at WalMart and Target stores for less than the CVS advertised prcies, it’s all a game about profits over people.Just check into any CVS Pharmacy and look for your friendly cashier, that is if they are still employeed there and have NOT been fired over petty A$$ complaints by many uneducated and foolish customers that can’t read the ads and just love to bitch and complain to get their way. I will never shop at a CVS pharmacy, knowing how over priced they are and how mean they treat they hard working employes.
- Patrick Weaver
  
  June 13, 2011 at 4:00 am
  
  I currently work for CVS myself and i can tell you that the “Budget” for employee hours is going to pay for this indeed… cut the working persons hours to take care of their mishaps… in my store there are no more then 2 people on register and we have to deal with the attitudes and ignorance like you mentioned of the customers and the management will give us a write up we never see or sign… and the treatment of 98% of the people i work with including myself is VERY POOR only way to get those promotions is by kissing A** like the ones who got where they are in my store i have been there longer and i am certified in Customer sales and Retail Services but like that matters to them, but my only promotions from crew to photo tech to Photo lab supervisor was to Head Cashier… a step down not a step up. yeah promotion. the only other thing they care about as well is the Triple S Score… if i knew then what i know now about this Evil Empire i would not have signed on almost 3 years ago… a job is a job we all need to eat and feed our families, but not at your own health or mental stress & well being and trust me i go through alot of mental and emotional stress because of that place thanks to management. there is a lot of DIRTY Dealings in our own stores as well as on the corporate level. all in all CVS is not a worthy company to work for even if the pictures in the ads, and CVS propaganda they show us how Wonderful the company is to work for… Why dont they tell us the REAL truth instead of lies? just like the store i work at the rest of this company is just not worth it.
Thoffman

March 25, 2011 at 3:07 am

I work for CVS. They have a very lax attitude about custoner service and safety. A big concern I have is for their views on expired products. I am told when I do expiration checks to not bother checking all products just one or two here and there is good enough for them. We have recieved expired goods in our shipments from our warehouse of course they didn’t say anything till after the product had been put out on shelves and sold to customers. I rarely finish the assigned expiration checks because I will not allow this attitude to persist. The manager will sign the paperwork saying the check has been completed even though I never finished. I would like to rant about their treatment of employees but that would be off subject.