Attorney General Maura Healey announced a major agreement Thursday with CVS Pharmacy aimed at combating the opioid crisis. The online monitoring system provides a prescription history of a patient, helping to identify drug-seeking behavior. “Through this groundbreaking settlement, these pharmacists will be better equipped to responsibly dispense opioids and will be required to use the Prescription Monitoring Program, which is a vital resource in preventing the misuse of opioids”.
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As a result of Thursday’s agreement, CVS will require its entire MA pharmacy staff to access the PMP website and review the prescription holder’s prescription history before dispensing certain prescribed drugs.
Healey says Glock firearms are “prone to accidental discharge” and is concerned the company may have been warned about the problem and failed to act.
Since the deficiencies were revealed, the company has been requiring its MA pharmacists to review the customer’s prescription history on the database before dispensing certain prescribed drugs. Healey says the company has about 350 pharmacies and 1,200 pharmacists in MA.
It has also agreed to pay $795,000, revise its prescription drug policies and retrain pharmacists.
Healey says the agreement marks the first time CVS has instituted a specific requirement for its pharmacists to check a state prescription drug database.
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The investigation was revealed by lawsuits filed by Glock and Remington in MA seeking to quash the AG’s subpoenas. And the company agreed to pay the state almost $800,000 – most of which, Healey said, will go toward fighting opioid addiction in MA. Healy’s office says $500,000 of the $795,000 that CVS has agreed to pay the state will go to drug abuse programs.
