DEA suspends registration for Evergreen Park Pharmacy on grounds that it dispensed dangerous and excessive quantities of some drugs
EVERGREEN PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- A pharmacy in suburban Evergreen Park has been busted for giving patients a dangerous mix of drugs – and that's not all.
As CBS 2's Tara Molina reported Thursday, the Drug Enforcement Administration suspension didn't shut down Evergreen Park Pharmacy. But it does mean the pharmacy can no longer fill certain prescriptions – everything from Adderall to ketamine – with a ban on dispensing almost all controlled substances.
Evergreen Park Pharmacy is located within the OSF Little Company of Mary Medical Center at 95th Street and California Avenue, so it is not visible from the street. We are told it is not affiliated with the hospital or medical center:
"Evergreen Park Pharmacy is an independent pharmacy not affiliated with OSF HealthCare. The owners of the pharmacy rent the space but are not employed by the hospital. Patients have their choice on where prescriptions are filled."
The Chicago division of the DEA suspended the registration for the pharmacy on Thursday. The order suspends the pharmacy's authority to dispense controlled pharmaceutical drugs on Schedules II-V – which includes everything from Adderall to codeine and oxycodone.
"The DEA investigation revealed numerous alleged regulatory violations, and a subsequent Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program review revealed that excessive opioids and dangerous drug combinations were dispensed to multiple patients. A pharmacy expert reviewed dispensing records of controlled substances to three Evergreen Park Pharmacy patients," the DEA said in a news release. "The expert concluded that the quantities and combinations of controlled substance medications dispensed to these patients were not for legitimate medical purposes, and could have led to respiratory failure and death."
The DEA news release continued: "A state-licensed pharmacy is entitled to apply for a DEA Registration and must maintain an approved, active registration to legally dispense controlled substance medications. If a pharmacy fails to maintain regulated professional standards when dispensing controlled substances, and continued dispensing authority would be inconsistent with the public interest, the DEA may administratively suspend and ultimately revoke the pharmacy's registration."
Right now, the registration is suspended, but it could still be revoked entirely.
A spokesperson for the DEA told us this pharmacy will be able to present their case to a judge before a final decision is made.
CBS 2 reached out to this pharmacy for a comment. We were told the owner was available to weigh in on Thursday, and the pharmacy did not provide a statement on the grounds that only the owner can speak about the situation.
The pharmacy emphasized is still open during normal hours, and is only restricted in what kind of medicine it can distribute.