DEA Revokes Registration of Two National Chain Pharmacies

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced yesterday that it has revoked the registration of two Florida CVS pharmacies. This action marks the first time the DEA has revoked the registration of a branch of a large national chain. The action follows the February 4 Immediate Suspension Order (ISO) that the DEA previously filed on the two pharmacies. An ISO is served when a DEA-registered business or individual constitutes an imminent danger to the public safety and DEA suspends that registrant’s ability to handle or distribute a controlled substance such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and others pending a judicial proceeding. A Final Order of Revocation filed by the DEA will be published in the Federal Register; the ISO will remain in effect until then.

These actions are part of the DEA Miami Field Division’s efforts to combat the state’s prescription drug abuse epidemic and its role as a major source of diverted prescription drugs to other states. Florida also has a 24-hour “Pill Mill” tip line that allows callers to leave information about a doctor or clinic that concerns them and over 100 collection sites for people to dispose of unused, unwanted, or expired prescription drugs. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently tasked states with achieving control over opioid pain prescriptions, saying that state agencies, as regulators of health-care practice, have the responsibility and authority to monitor and correct inappropriate and illegal prescribing. Read more about it in Psychiatric News, here.
 

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