June 2021
The following are several drug diversion news that have captured our industry’s attention.
TJC: ADC tweaks, other tools can help prevent drug diversion
Consultants at the Joint Commission Resources (JCR) are urging hospitals to double down on efforts to keep controlled substances safe. This is in light of a Joint Commission finding that 10% of hospitals surveyed in 2019 did not meet medication security standards, including those meant to prevent diversion.
Jeannell Mansur, RPh, PharmD, the principal consultant for medication management and safety at JCR and Joint Commission International, in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., pointed to a range of medication management and storage gaps that leave controlled substances open to diversion in health systems.
Opioid trial in West Virginia comes amid a national reckoning for big pharma
During years when the prescription opioid epidemic was spiraling out of control, corporate executives at the drug wholesaler McKesson sent at least two memos ordering employees to “refrain from using the word ‘suspicious'” to describe escalating opioid orders from pharmacy chains.
The documents were disclosed this week as part of a landmark federal opioid trial now underway in West Virginia, one of the states hit hardest by opioid deaths.
The case focuses on claims by local officials in Cabell County and the city of Huntington. They say their community of roughly 90,000 residents was devastated by tens of millions of prescription opioid pills shipped to local pharmacies.
Merrick nurse allegedly stole more than 1,000 vials of fentanyl
A Merrick nurse was arrested and arraigned for allegedly stealing more than 1,000 vials of fentanyl and midazolam last year from her now-former place of employment at North Shore University Hospital, according to Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas. The nurse worked in the cardiac unit of the hospital, where she stole more than 1,000 vials of fentanyl.
Pharmaceutical counterfeiting couple sentenced in US
An Alabama husband and wife have been sentenced for possession of pill presses used to make fake prescription drugs as well as controlled substances. The criminal activity was discovered when an international mail package from China was intercepted en-route to the couple’s home in Bessemer which contained two metal dies and a metal mold designed to be used to produce pressed pills.
Pharmacist involved in illegal opioid ring is sentenced
Abidoun Fabode, 57, of Chesterfield Township, Michigan, was sentenced to eight years behind bars for illegally distributing opioid doses that weren’t medically necessary. Fabode, a pharmacist, made millions of dollars in street sales, according to court documents.
Drug diversion in healthcare
Drug diversion is a serious matter. However, convincing nurses is challenging because the problem is substantially underestimated, undetected, and underreported, according to Kimberly New, BSN, RN, JD, a specialist in controlled substance security and regulatory compliance at Diversion Specialists in Chicago, Illinois. Common drug diversion outcomes include damaged careers, civil and criminal penalties, infectious disease outbreaks, severe patient harm, and even death.
Former hospice nurse pleads to stealing meds
A former hospice nurse has pleaded guilty to charges from allegations that she filled prescriptions for patients and then stole the substances.
Michele L. Wills, 56, Warren, entered the plea before Judge Gregory Hammond on Thursday. Online court records show she pleaded to charges of acquiring or obtaining possession of a controlled substance by misrepresentation — a felony — as well as misdemeanor theft by deception.
St. Joseph Hospital nurse charged in fentanyl thefts
A registered nurse working at St. Joseph Hospital downtown admitted to stealing fentanyl while on shift and is facing related charges. An investigation was launched when it was discovered Matthew Clem had removed medication from the Pyxis automated medication dispensing system that stores medications for patients. He claimed two doctors had given verbal orders for the medication, which they both denied. He also failed to record any “waste” information regarding the medication.
Pharma executive blames vague DEA rules for opioid epidemic
A drug company executive testifying in a landmark trial against three large opioid distributors has continued to blame the Drug Enforcement Administration for West Virginia’s addiction epidemic, saying his company’s internal controls went beyond what regulations require.
David May, the vice president of corporate security and diversion control for the AmerisourceBergen Drug Co., testified that the company’s abuse prevention systems have gone beyond the DEA’s expectations and federal regulations, and have been improved over the years through more digital monitoring and training, according to The Herald-Dispatch.
Bluefield doctor sentenced to federal prison on misbranding charge
Dr. Phillip Peterson, 64, was sentenced in federal court on a charge of misbranding Schedule II controlled substances to three individuals, two of whom his office staff called “back door patients.” Peterson operated a family medicine practice in Bluefield.
Doctor sentenced to 57 months in prison for unlawfully distributing opioids and soliciting sexual favors from patients in exchange for opioids
A New York doctor was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for distributing opioids without a legitimate medical reason and soliciting sexual favors from patients in exchange for opioid prescriptions.
Joseph Santiamo, 65, of Staten Island, New York, previously pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp to an information charge, charging him with conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, a controlled dangerous substance.
Landmark opioid trial opens in West Virginia
In a highly anticipated trial, lawyers for a West Virginia County and city told a judge that the nation’s three largest drug distributors should be held liable for helping spur a public-health crisis by ignoring mounting evidence for years that prescription drugs were being diverted for illegal use.
This trial sets the tone for more than 3,000 other lawsuits nationwide, in which states and local governments argue that drug distributors created a “public nuisance” by allowing powerful opioids like OxyContin to flood communities.
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The future of AI in hospitals and drug supply chain
While most patients know that the hospital floor can be chaotic, what they don’t see is the chaos that increases their safety risk and often occurs behind the scenes — when medications go missing along the supply chain.
As most hospital executives know, the process of tracking drugs within their facility is a complex process. Each day, hospital workers must gather transaction documentation from shipments through electronic data exchange, web portals and paper reports. In addition to this time-consuming process, they also must verify, validate, and store these documents.
To make matters worse, when Congress enacted the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) in 2013, tracking medications compounded in hospital pharmacies is now under greater scrutiny.
That’s why companies like ConsortiEX are critical partners in the hospital ecosystem. Their role? To provide solutions in tracking medications along the supply chain and provide guidance to comply with the DSCSA.
Neal Long is a global, life sciences executive with extensive experience in medical devices and information technology. Long is the CEO and founder of ConsortiEX, which provides pharmacy compliance solutions to hospitals. Long expressed there is a challenge with connecting the dots between a hospital’s distribution system and the drug manufacturer.
“In many cases, data doesn’t flow ubiquitously throughout the hospital,” he said. “Critical information that is received via Drug Supply Chain Security Act feeds and receiving verification – such as lot number – might not be communicated across the health system settings. Moreover, not all systems in the hospital are compatible, so oftentimes, information gets left out.”
ConsortiEX uses data collection and machine learning to track medications from the time they’ve been ordered to the time when they arrive at the hospital. When they arrive at the hospital, they can also be tracked to the hospital pharmacy and, ultimately, the patient. The information recorded is easily searchable to comply with audit requirements of both DSCSA and DQSA, including compounded sterile products coming from 503Bs and the hospital’s own “central fill” pharmacy. ConsortiEX ties all the information together “from Pedigree to Patient®”.
Since the inception of DSCSA, Long and his team believe that AI can transform healthcare for the better, which is why he agreed to serve as a member of the ANiGENT’s Board of Advisors.
“The potential for AI and machine learning in healthcare is inspiring, especially as we consider how to harness the expanding wealth of knowledge,” said Long. “ANiGENT’s drug diversion prevention platform is a great example of utilizing the best in AI to improve not only patient health outcomes but also patient safety.”
