How NOT to write a prescription

Every now and then, I think it’s a good idea to take a look at (extremely) bad consequences for health care professionals spawned by unethical behavior. Thus, I share with you the following article that flashed across my desktop recently.

Costa Rica-based online pharmacy charged with racketeering, fraud in U.S.

The Associated Press
Published: August 2, 2007

SAN DIEGO: Physicians and executives are among 18 people accused of selling prescription drugs over the Internet to people without any examinations, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday that charges them with federal racketeering.

The 313-count indictmentmarks the first time organized-crime statutes designed to combat drug cartels and mafia rings have been used to charge anyone with selling prescription drugs over the Internet, said Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

AffPower, a Costa Rica-based company, took more than 1 million orders for legal pharmaceuticals including diet pills, birth control pills, Prozac and Viagra between August 2004 and June 2006, according to the indictment. It says the total value of the drugs sold exceeds $126 million (€92 million).

A network of affiliated Web sites received a cut of fees in return for each order forwarded to AffPower.

The indictment names doctors and pharmacies along with AffPower executives and recruiters.

Doctors, who were paid $3 (€2.20) for each order reviewed, approved hundreds or even thousands of orders a day, the indictment says. The prescriptions were then filled through licensed online and brick-and-mortar pharmacies, who received between $5 (€3.66) and $13 (€9.51) for each order.

The indictment, unsealed in federal court in San Diego, names three doctors licensed in Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio and Massachusetts and pharmacists in Colorado and Florida.

The defendants were charged with multiple counts of racketeering, money laundering, mail fraud, drug distribution and conspiracy. The charges carry up to 20 years in prison and millions in fines.

At least 11 of the defendants were arrested earlier this week in five states, Mack said.

Efforts to locate an AffPower Web site or phone number were unsuccessful. Two federal officials said they did not know of a company contact.

Hopefully two things popped up in your head after reading the article: (1) It’s much better to practice ethically and (2) people do have it worse than you.

You can read the original article here.