New Haven pharmacy owner reaches settlement after ‘high risk’ customers overdose on prescriptions
By Rob Polansky
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NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (WFSB) — A pharmacy owner in New Haven reached a settlement after an investigation revealed that customers with red flags overdosed on their prescription medications.
Yong Kwon agreed to pay the federal government $120,000 to resolve allegations that he violated the Controlled Substances Act.
According to Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and the DEA, Yong ran Cornerstone Pharmacy, Inc, also known as Whalley Drug.
On June 22, 2021, the DEA served an administrative inspection warrant on Whalley Drug, where Yong was a pharmacist.
“During execution of the warrant, the DEA interviewed [Yong] 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,” Avery said. “The DEA also audited Whalley Drug for its compliance with CSA recordkeeping requirements, which the government alleges revealed recordkeeping discrepancies for several controlled substances.”
The government claimed that between Sept. 2017 and June 2021, Yong and Whalley Drug filled prescriptions for controlled substances that had been issued without a legitimate medical purpose.
“The invalid prescriptions included prescriptions for controlled substances to individuals displaying red flags of abuse and addiction, prescriptions to individuals who received dangerous combinations of controlled substances, including the high-risk ‘holy trinity’ drug combination of at least one opioid, benzodiazepine, and a muscle relaxant, excessive and unsafe amounts of benzodiazepines, including for extended periods of time, and one dosage unit of a controlled substance to an individual who was already concurrently receiving two additional dosage units of the same controlled substance from a different provider,” Avery said.
On June 22, 2021, Yong agreed to voluntarily surrender the DEA license for Whalley Drug, which no longer operates as a retail pharmacy.
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