CT pharmacist who lost license after overfilling controlled substances ordered to pay $120K

A Connecticut pharmacy and its owner have agreed to pay $120,000 to a civil settlement with the federal government over controlled substances allegations.

Cornerstone Pharmacy, Inc. — doing business as “Whalley Drug” — and its owner, Yong Kwon, recently agreed to a civil settlement with the federal government and paid $120,000 to resolve allegations that they “violated civil provisions” of the Controlled Substances Act, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a release on Monday.

According to officials, on June 22, 2021, the Drug Enforcement Administration served an Administrative Inspection Warrant on Whalley Drug, a pharmacy in New Haven that was owned by Kwon, a pharmacist.

“During execution of the warrant, the DEA interviewed Kwon concerning patients who overdosed after filling prescriptions at Whalley Drug prescribed by certain area practitioners, and Kwon’s practices in filling prescriptions for controlled substances prescribed by area practitioners,” federal officials said.

The DEA also audited Whalley Drug for its compliance with the recordkeeping requirements of the Controlled Substances Act. According to federal officials, the audit allegedly revealed discrepancies for several controlled substances.

Federal officials allege that, between September 2017 and June 2021, Whalley Drug filled prescriptions for controlled substances that had been issued without a legitimate medical purpose, “in violation of the pharmacist’s corresponding responsibility to ensure that only valid prescriptions are dispensed,” according to officials.

The prescriptions for controlled substances were allegedly filled for individuals with red flags of abuse and addiction, federal officials said. Other individuals reportedly received prescriptions for dangerous combinations of controlled substances, including a high-risk combination of at least one opioid, benzodiazepine and a muscle relaxant. Another individual was allegedly prescribed unsafe amounts of benzodiazepines despite already receiving two additional dosage units of the same controlled substance from a different provider, according to federal officials.

On June 22, 2021, Kwon agreed to voluntarily surrender Whalley Drug’s DEA license, which prevents it from operating as a retail pharmacy, federal officials said.