Florida Doctor Sues CVS for Not Filling His Prescriptions

A Florida doctor has sued CVS for not filling his prescriptions, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Late last year, the company sent letters to a small number of doctors in Florida telling them it would no longer fill prescriptions they wrote for oxycodone and other Schedule II narcotic drugs.

Attorney Gus Benitez has filed suit against CVS on behalf of one doctor on the list, Sylvester Hanna, who owns a pain clinic. “When you take this action — when CVS takes this action — they’re blacklisting these doctors, and they’re casting this net where they’re affecting a lot of people,” Benitez said. The suit claims that by refusing to fill Hanna’s prescriptions, CVS is falsely implying that he is acting unethically or illegally.

The company would not answer specific questions about the list of doctors, according to the newspaper. “We have informed a small number of Florida physicians that CVS/pharmacy will no longer fill the prescriptions they write for Schedule II narcotics,” CVS spokesman Mike DeAngelis said in a statement to the newspaper. “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/pharmacy is unwavering in its compliance and measures to prevent drug abuse and keep controlled substances out of the wrong hands.”