Backlash as Amazon enters pharmacy in India; US pharmacist sentenced after tampering with and stealing narcotic infusions; Bahamas pharmacist questions curbside pharmacy service
Bengalaru, India : Outraged at the entry of Amazon into the Indian online pharmacy market, the All India Organization of Chemists and Druggists has called the move illegal.
According to the ED Times , a spokesperson for Amazon India said that, “As a part of our commitment to fulfilling the needs of customers, we are launching Amazon Pharmacy in Bengaluru allowing customers to order prescription-based medication in addition to over-the-counter medicines, basic health devices and Ayurveda medication from certified sellers. This is particularly relevant in present times as it will help customers meet their essential needs while staying safe at home”.
But the News Minute reports that the AIOCD has now written to Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos and India Country Manager Amit Agarwal to protest the move.
It says that e-pharmacies are illegal and not recognised by law.
It says that under the relevant legislation an original script must be presented for each prescription medicine dispensed, which needs to take place at a licensed premises – which means online pharmacies cannot comply.
It also says that home delivery is also illegal and has only been allowed this year because of COVID-19, and is restricted to neighbourhood pharmacies.
Hartford, Connecticut: A pharmacist who tampered with and stole infusion narcotics has been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison.
Carl Mancini was sentenced to this period plus three years of supervised release after he tampered with and stole the medicines while employed as a pharmacist for a Connecticut company that prepared home or hospice care intravenous infusions for a variety of medical conditions, including pain management.
As part of Mr Mancini’s duties, he was responsible for formulating infusions of the correct concentration for specific patients following their prescriber’s orders.
But between around January and June 2019, Mr Mancini “accessed a secure area of his workplace and took vials of narcotics, including hydromorphone hydrochloride and morphine sulfate pentahydrate, that were intended to be used to formulate infusion for patients,” the US Attorney’s Office, District of Connecticut, said in a statement.“He used a syringe to withdraw the narcotics from the vials and reinjected saline into the vial so that it would appear as if the narcotics were not missing.“In order to hide his tampering, Mancini used specialized crimping tools to reseal the vials. He […]