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Pfizer Inc has taken steps to ensure that none of its products are used in lethal injections..."We are enforcing a distribution restriction for specific products that have been part of, or considered by some states for, their lethal injection protocols," the...drugmaker said on its website. "Pfizer strongly objects to the use of its products as lethal injections for capital punishment."...The move shuts off the last remaining open market source of drugs used in executions, following similar actions by more than 20 U.S. and European drugmakers, according to a report in the New York Times...Pfizer’s distribution restriction limits the sale of the seven products to a select group of wholesalers, distributors, and direct purchasers under the condition that they will not resell these products to correctional institutions for use in lethal injections, the company said.

The U.S Attorney prosecuting the case against Richie West and Dr. Robert Rand and seven other defendants accused of operating an illegal Oxycodone distribution and street-buying operation says he has records from the Nevada Pharmacy Board. Those records identify when and where the defendants had their prescriptions filled. The system is part of the board's Prescription Monitoring Program...It’s not a perfect system, and there are some loopholes. But it’s helped keep track and monitor those who doctor-shop looking to feed their opioid habits...“So we know who wrote the prescription, what it is, the quantity. Who the patient is that got it, and all of that including who filled it. First thing we do is send an unsolicited report to every one of those physicians, all 10 of those guys, and ladies, and every one of those pharmacies. So now all of a sudden all of those people know the patient that is sitting in that office right now has been to nine other physicians in that same week and then, game over. We don't tell them what to do. We just tell them, doc, you need to know this,” says Executive Director (Executive Secretary) for the Nevada Board of Pharmacy Larry Pinson Pharm. D...Pinson says the information in the database is sensitive. A court order is needed if law enforcement wants access to it...Pinson says the system is designed to get the patient help rather than punish him. And he admits the system is geared toward the patient.

Have you ever wondered how to get rid of an unfinished bottle of prescription drugs?...Don't throw it in the trash or flush it down the toilet, advises the Drug Enforcement Administration. Those methods of dumping your pills can actually be a safety hazard...Instead, Americans with expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs can bring them for disposal at drop-off centers nationwide during Drug Take-Back Day, which takes place this year on Saturday, April 30...Drop-off sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. You can find one near you by going to the DEA's Diversion Control website. The service is free and anonymous...Only pills and patches will be accepted. The DEA will not take liquids, needles or sharps...The 10 previous take-back events have collected more than 5.5 million pounds (more than 2,750 tons) of pills...

The FBI has bestowed the Community Leadership Award to the University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy’s Generation Rx chapter in honor of its students’ work to fight prescription drug abuse...the student-led initiative is geared toward educating the community on the use and abuse of prescription medications. Its main goal is to provide accurate information and resources in order to help decrease the number of fatal drug overdoses...The students accomplish these goals by providing presentations to different groups in the community and promoting National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days in collaboration with local pharmacies, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the New Mexico Board of Pharmacy. They also hand out prescription drug use and abuse information, plus stickers and magnets, at health fairs and other events...The FBI recognized the school’s chapter both in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Washington, DC. Perea (Nicole Perea, 2017 PharmD candidate) accepted the award from FBI Director James Comey on behalf of the University of New Mexico team.

A Boise jury...returned guilty verdicts against Michael Minas, 50...on charges that he unlawfully distributed controlled substances outside the usual course of professional practice and not for a legitimate medical purpose…Minas illegally distributed was primarily oxycodone 30 mg, but the jury also found Minas guilty of distributing fentanyl and hydromorphone. The jury heard evidence that Minas wrote prescriptions for extraordinary dosages, such as 240, 300, and even 420 oxycodone 30 mg. They also heard evidence that he often wrote prescriptions at intervals of two or three weeks, but wrote dosage instructions on the prescriptions indicating that it was a month’s supply…Minas faces a maximum prison sentence of up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1,000,00 ($1,000,000) and at least three years of supervised release on each count of conviction.

Federal officials say a Reno-area physician is among nine people, including several employees of a local auto dealership, accused of running in an illegal prescription drug "pill mill" distribution business...Dr. Robert Rand was arrested Friday...Richard Winston "Richie" West II, the son of a Reno auto dealer, was among the eight other defendants arrested...the investigation targeted the distribution of prescription opioid medications including oxycodone...

Walgreens has agreed to pay $500,000 in penalties, fees, and costs related to misleading advertising practices that led to New York customers being overcharged for products..."Businesses are required to ensure that their advertisements are truthful and not misleading..."When consumers purchase products at retail stores in New York, they should be able to rely on the prices displayed in advertisements and on shelf tags and not have to worry about being overcharged when they get to the register."...Walgreens has agreed to reform its advertising and business practices in New York...It must remove expired shelf tags within 36 hours, restrict the use of "Smart Buy" or "Great Buy," and refrain from using "Last Chance" or "Clearance" tags when the item is available at a reduced price for an extended period of time...Walgreens will also conduct internal and external price check audits in stores. If a store fails 2 consecutive external audits, it will have to pay a $2500 penalty.

A U.S. drug repackager is in hot water with the FDA, earning itself a warning letter by taking liberties with the expiration dates on the drugs it repackages and a having quality unit that pretty much shirked its responsibilities, even though the problems had been noted during inspections 5 years earlier...The warning letter to Apotheca Supply, which does business as Apothecares, was posted this week...the FDA said the company had extended the expiration dates...by as much as two years beyond those listed by the manufacturers without any scientific justification to do it and no stability testing that would insure the APIs would still be effective...In addition, the agency was concerned about potential for cross contamination because of its procedures...On top of that the inspector found expired cleaning products and there had been no testing to ensure that surfaces were cleaned of one product before work began on another...

On April 30th, 2016, local and federal agencies will once again partner together to sponsor the Prescription Drug Round Up event in Washoe County. Since the area’s first event in the fall of 2009, the Round Ups in Washoe County have collected over 1.6 million prescription pills. More than 230,000 of those pills were in categories that are commonly diverted and abused, such as painkillers, depressants and stimulants...Medications – including household prescription and over the counter pills and liquids – can be dropped off at the Round Up event with no questions asked. Citizens are asked to bring medications in their original containers if possible, and may mark out the patient’s name if they wish. Prescription waste or expired/surplus medications from medical offices or pharmaceutical companies or their representatives are not accepted at this event. In addition, volunteers from Northern Nevada HOPES and the Northern Nevada Outreach Team will be collecting residential sharps and providing information to the community about proper syringe disposal...Round Up Locations April 30th 10:00am – 2:00pm:

• Raleys - 18144 Wedge Parkway, Reno
• Walgreens - 10370 N. McCarran Blvd, Reno
• Save Mart– 4995 Kietzke Lane, Reno
• CVS - 680 N. McCarran Blvd, Sparks
• CVS – 5151 Sparks Blvd, Sparks
• Walmart – 250 Vista Knoll Parkway, Reno
• Incline Village Community Hospital – 880 Alder Ave, Incline Village

Walgreens...announced that it has installed 50 safe medication disposal kiosks in Walgreens drug stores across California, representing the first of two programs in California to combat drug abuse...By making safe medication disposal kiosks available in select California stores and expanding to other states this year, Walgreens is taking an important first step to curb the misuse of medications throughout the country...As a pharmacy, we are committed to playing a role in what must be a comprehensive solution to prevent prescription drug and opioid abuse…To kick off the launch of the safe medication disposal program in California, Walgreens will host a series of events with local lawmakers working to fight the drug abuse crisis in the state leading up to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 30…Walgreens also is working to make naloxone, a potentially lifesaving opioid antidote, available without requiring a prescription from an individual’s physician at California pharmacies. The medication is currently available with a prescription in California and can be used in the event of an overdose to reverse the effects of heroin or other opioid drugs, and is administered by injection or nasal spray.