CVS Won't Fill Some Doctors' Pain Prescriptions
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) -- The CVS pharmacy chain has fired the latest shot in Florida's pain pill epidemic.
Tuesday, CVS notified some Florida doctors that it will stop filling prescriptions they write for certain controlled substances such as the painkiller oxycodone.
The company did not detail its reasons or how many doctors are affected but it pointed to trying to stop prescription-drug abuse, an issue that has made Florida a magnet in recent years for users and traffickers. Florida is known as the pill mill capital.
"While we regret any inconvenience this may cause for our customers, we treat the dispensing of controlled substances with the utmost care and seriousness,'' company spokesman Mike DeAngelis said in an e-mail. "CVS/pharmacy is unwavering in its compliance and measures to prevent drug abuse and keep controlled substances out of the wrong hands."
Paul Sloan, president of the Florida Society of Pain Management Providers, described the move as "blacklisting physicians.''
"This is just another hysteria driven response to a problem that is based on false data provided by Florida medical examiners and law enforcement,'' Sloan said in an e-mail.
"The News Service of Florida contributed to this report."
