CVS will not fill some prescriptions for potent drugs in Florida

ORLANDO, Fla (Reuters) - CVS has told some doctors in Florida, the nation's pill mill capital, that its retail pharmacies will no longer fill prescriptions they write for some potent and addictive drugs, a company spokesman said on Tuesday.

"While we regret any inconvenience this may cause for our customers, we treat the dispensing of controlled substances with the utmost care and seriousness," CVS corporate public relations director Michael DeAngelis told Reuters in an e-mailed statement.

DeAngelis said the company had sent letters to "a small number of Florida physicians" announcing the decision, which he said applied only to prescriptions presented at Florida retail pharmacies. He gave no further details.

A letter on CVS Caremark letterhead detailing the move, a copy of which was posted on the website of Health News Florida, said the company was concerned about prescription drug abuse in the state.

"This is to inform you that CVS/pharmacy stores will not be able to fill prescriptions that you write for Schedule II narcotic controlled substances," the letter, dated November 18, said. The name of the letter recipient was blacked out.

http://www.fox40.com/lifestyle/sns-rt-us-cvs-prescriptions-floridatre7at01f-20111129,0,2721432.story

That's actually a pretty good idea in terms of protecting themselves but I don't think this could affect the big picture. Maybe other pharmacies follow suit, who knows. I knOw some of you are going to go on and on about the injustices blah blah but in my opinion I think this may be a good idea.

this is silly. pharmacies are just part of the service industry. whether or not the doctor is crooked means nothing because a pharmacists job is to fill scripts, whatever they may be for, as long as its real. i could understand them refusing to fill suspect doctors prescriptions, but this is just stupid. its going to hurt real pain patients and those that go to pill mill doctors will just pick different pharmacies. CVS is pretty expensive to begin with.

^^^
What he said. I think that it's bullshit that I can get thrown in jail for smoking a silly plant but if I get a crooked ass drug dealer, also known as a "doctor", to sign a piece of paper I can have medical grade morphine and no one can say shit to stop me. It's the doctors that need to be more controlling. If the pharmacies just stop giving out a certain kind of drug cause they think it's wrong they might deny medicine to someone who actually needs it

^What AF said. This could set a pretty dangerous precedent, and this is coming from someone in this "service industry" as it has been put.

those in need of pain relief or opioid maintenance (which prevents the real pain of w/d...) should not be denied meds, whether some people misuse the meds at times or not...

there are dozens ways to handle the harms of drugs, reducing the power of patients or doctors is definitely not one of them.

This shit really irks me, since when do pharmacists get to have a say i what doctors do? I think the DEA is already going after all the crooked pain doctors as they are mandated to do so. But what mandate does CVS have to police the distrubution of prescription drugs and, how are they possibly qualified to know if a doctor is qualified to prescribe schedule 2 narcotics? I am not sure if CVS is just trying to cover there ass into looking like they are trying to stop people getting pills or what but it is sure setting a precedent that could be seen as a powergrab by pharmacists. After all if no pharmacys will fill your prescriptions your career as a doctor isnt going to be very succesful.

Amphetamines are Schedule II. They're losing a massive amount of business from ADD/ADHD medication prescriptions.