The Wall Street Journal this week reported on a lawsuit against CVS pharmacies for selling expired drugs. Here are excerpts from the article:
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Monday that his office is suing a unit of CVS Caremark Corp. for allegedly selling expired over-the-counter drugs and other products in its stores in Connecticut.
In a statement, Mr. Blumenthal said investigators from his office found expired food, beverages and over-the-counter medications on sale in 20 or more CVS stores in Connecticut in the summers of 2008 and 2009.
“Basic business law and ethics give consumers a right to unspoiled food and safe and effective medicine,” Mr. Blumenthal said. “I will fight for significant penalties against CVS, sending a powerful message that expiration dates must be respected. Any item past its expiration date should be off shelves, out of stores.”
Earlier this month, CVS agreed to pay $875,000 in penalties, costs and fees to end a probe by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo into the sale of expired products in its New York stores.
Mr. Cuomo last year reached a similar agreement with Rite Aid Corp. in which the company agreed to pay $1.3 million and adopt new internal protocols.
