(TRINIDAD, Colo.) — The operator of a pharmacy located in Trinidad has agreed to pay a quarter of a million dollars to settle allegations that the pharmacy unlawfully dispensed controlled substances, including high daily doses of opioids and dangerous drug combinations.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, COBigRed, Inc., which operates Hometown Pharmacy & Medical in Trinidad, has agreed to pay $250,000 in civil penalties and entered into a separate agreement with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which will ensure that the pharmacy complies with the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Hometown Pharmacy & Medical allegedly violated the CSA on numerous occasions between January 2017 and December 2023, by filling prescriptions for controlled substances, including opioids, that were not valid because they were not issued for a legitimate medical purpose, or were issued “outside the usual course of professional practice.”
The allegations also stated that the pharmacy failed to identify or resolve numerous red flags related to these prescriptions that signaled they were invalid:
- Prescriptions that were for high daily doses of opioids
- Prescriptions for dangerous drug combinations
- For patients who had insurance but paid in cash for their prescriptions
- For patients who had traveled long distances for their prescriptions
- For patients who repeatedly sought early prescription refills
“Pharmacies have an obligation to ensure that every prescription they fill is for a legitimate medical purpose,” said Acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell. “When pharmacies fail to conduct proper due diligence and fill dangerous prescriptions despite the presence of red flags, they place people at unacceptable risk. We will continue to hold pharmacies accountable when they disregard these important obligations and fill illegitimate prescriptions.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Hometown Pharmacy does not admit to liability by agreeing to settle the allegations.
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