Timothy A. AAron, Sheffield Pharmacy and Franklin Pharmacy (Optimal Pain Control) Update (which I have previously posted in two separate blog entries but have joined here)--Fines Are Huge compared to What Most State Boards impose

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Franklin, Sheffield and Russellville Compounding Pharmacies In Alabama: Will these Supposedly Federal Health Care Fraud Investigations Now Become More in Light of the Meningitis Outbreak?

In August 2012, numerous agencies, including the FBI, DEA, FDA, Alabama's attorney general's Medicaid Fraud Unit and the Alabama Board of Pharmacy, here and here executed a search warrant on three Alabama phamacies, Franklin, Sheffield, and Russellville.  All three specialized in compounding drugs.  More specifically, all three were involved in compounding pain medication cremes.  At the time of the search, sources reported that it was not the compounded drugs in questions but the business practices of these pharmacies.  See here  The investigating agencies were seen carrying out boxes of documents that were confiscated from the facilities.  These documents were then supposedly taken to the FBI's Birmingham office for review.  The question of ownership of these pharmacies, which was previously reported on, see here, here and here  is still being reported on:

WHNT News 19 has schooled that Rodney Logan, a owners of both a Sheffield and Russellville pharmacies, was during one time business partners with Tim Aaron, who owns Franklin Pharmacy.
In a “Healthy Horizons” publication, an ad printed in Oct of 2010, showed ‘Optimal Pain Control’ as being a multiplication of Russellville Pharmacy, owned by Rodney Logan.

Since that publication, OPC RX has altered hands, and annals uncover it is now listed as being operated on Mustang Drive in Russellville.
It’s a same residence inventory as Franklin Pharmacy, that is owned by Tim Aaron, and employs scarcely dual hundred people.
Since a businesses split, Rodney Logan has non-stop another multiplication to a Sheffield Pharmacy, Sheffield Expert Compounding.
In fact, according to cinema posted on a company’s Facebook page, a laboratory for blending a drugs was combined in a bureau space subsequent to Sheffield Pharmacy.

Source is here.  No arrest have been made at this point, and it can take years to review and indict large health care fraud cases. But in light of the recent meningitis scare will the agencies now be taking a look at other charges such as misbranding drugs.  This blog already questioned whether or not these pharmacies were "manufacturing" instead of compounding.  See here.  Especially since it employed more than 200 people.  See here

From the Alabama State Board of Pharmacy]

TIMOTHY A. AARON, #10300

Guilty of counts one through five of statement of charges.

Pharmacies:

SHEFFIELD PHARMACY, #112477

Assessed monetary fine of $75,000.00.

FRANKLIN PHARMACY (OPTIMAL PAIN CONTROL) #113501

Assessed monetary fine of $75,000.00

found here