Winston-Salem-based RX Company had ‘consistent failures’ in opioid reporting, DEA says

WINSTON-SALEM, NC (WGHP) The DEA announced it is taking action against several companies for mishandling opioids, including a company based in Winston-Salem.

The DEA said Tuesday that as part of the Operation Bottleneck initiative, They served one “immediate suspension order” and five “show cause orders” between September 25 and October 20, 2023.

These companies have a legal obligation to account for every dose and every pill in order to protect the safety and health of the American people, said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. As we continue to face an unprecedented epidemic of poisonings and overdoses in the United States, which claimed the lives of 110,757 people last year alone, the DEA will continue to use every tool available to prevent diversion and misuse of opioids and other highly addictive controlled substances.

During the week of September 25, the DEA issued one of these “show cause orders” for Inmar RX Solutions, Inc., headquartered in Winston-Salem. Inmar is one of the “nation’s largest reverse distributors” that handles the return and disposal of medications.

According to the DEA, “the company failed to comply with its obligation to maintain effective controls against the diversion of controlled substances.” These violations include persistent failure to properly report theft or significant loss, promptly destroy or return controlled substances, and maintain complete and accurate records.

An “order to show cause” is an administrative procedure. It requires the company to demonstrate why its registration with the DEA should not be denied, revoked or suspended and the company can submit a corrective action plan to the DEA. An “immediate suspension order” is issued to a DEA-registered business if it is determined that there is an “imminent danger to public health or safety” and its DEA registration is immediately revoked.

Other companies that received a “show cause order” during “Operation Bottleneck” were:

• Ascent Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a manufacturer of dosage forms
• Quantum Commerce, LLC, a pharmaceutical distributor
• Shrieve Chemical Company, LLC, a chemical distributor and importer
• Atlantic Biologicals Corporation, a major supplier of opioids to many pharmacies in Houston, Texas

R&S Solutions, LLC was issued an “immediate suspension order” because, according to the DEA, it “failed to account for more than one million dosage units of oxycodone and other controlled substances from the Annex II” and that the company failed to maintain appropriate controls. at many times.