The Iowa Board of Pharmacy has issued a fine to a Marion pharmacy for a drug dispensing error.
The board alleges that on Dec. 24, 2024, a 22-month-old child was prescribed antibiotics to treat pneumonia. A pharmacy technician at the CVS Pharmacy in Marion allegedly gave the child’s mother azithromycin tablets instead of a liquid and failed to provide counseling on use of the medication. The tablets were subsequently returned when the mother discovered the error, according to the board.
The CVS Pharmacy was charged by the board with failing to provide pharmacist counseling upon receipt of a new prescription drug order; failing to review records to identify any issues such as incorrect drug dosages; and dispensing an incorrect prescription.
In order to resolve the matter, the CVS Pharmacy and the board agreed to settlement that calls for the pharmacy to accept a warning and pay a civil penalty of $5,000.
In addition, the pharmacy must also implement a training and remediation plan, specifically with regard to pediatric dosing and milligram/kilogram dosing and the maintenance of a “proper computerized system protocol” that has the capability to catch errors. Pharmacists will be required to double-check the system to ensure errors do not occur.
The board also settled charges of gross negligence against a Jefferson County pharmacy with a warning.
In that case, the board charged Summit Pharmacy of Fairfield with willful or gross negligence, alleging that over the previous several years, many controlled substances had been diverted from the pharmacy’s inventory for the personal use of the pharmacist owner at the time.
Since the initial investigation of that matter, Summit Pharmacy has changed ownership and, according to the board, has “embraced changes” to come into compliance with pharmacy regulations. The pharmacy and the board agreed to resolve the charge of willful or gross negligence with a warning.
This story was originally published by the Iowa Capital Dispatch. Reprinted with permission.
