A Pharmacist in Virginia Switched Oxycodone with the Wrong Pills. Now, He's in Jail and Patients Are Safe.
A pharmacist in Virginia was sentenced after he opiods with other drugs in order to keep them for himself.
A Virginia pharmacist has been sentenced to two years in prison for tampering with prescription opioids in order to keep the narcotics for himself, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia announced.
Dillon West Breeding, 34, pleaded guilty last year to one count of tampering with consumer products.
He was sentenced last week to 24 months in federal prison.
“Ensuring the integrity of our prescription drugs is vital to maintaining the public’s confidence in our healthcare system,” U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said in a statement. “When patients go to the pharmacy, they trust the medicines they receive are legitimate, and prosecutions like this one go a long way towards ensuring that trust.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Inspector General and the Virginia Department of Health Professions, along with the Gate City Police Department and the Virginia State Police.
According to court documents, Breeding swapped oxycodone tablets with prednisone, a steroid used to treat inflammation, and replaced hydromorphone tablets with leflunomide, a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
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He also shorted patients when he filled their prescriptions for opioids, keeping the pills for himself.
“FDA-OCI remains committed to safeguarding the drug supply chain from individuals who endanger public health and safety by tampering with products,” said George Scavdis, Special Agent in Charge, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Metropolitan Washington Field Office. “When pharmacists betray their customers’ trust by tampering with narcotic medications, they not only risk causing needless suffering from ineffective substitutes but also put lives at risk by introducing potentially harmful substances into the drug supply chain.”
TMX contributed to this report.
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