Andover Pharmacy Settles In Illegal Opioid Prescribing Case: AG

ANDOVER, MA — Attorney General Maura Healey has reached a settlement for $11 million with an Andover mail-order pharmacy facing allegations of shipping thousands of illegitimate opioid painkiller prescriptions nationwide.

According to Healey's office, Injured Workers Pharmacy failed to implement adequate safeguards against unlawful and dangerous dispensing of the drugs, which resulted in the shipment of thousands of potentially unneeded painkiller prescriptions to injured workers across the United States. In the complaint, Healey said the pharmacy violated Massachusetts consumer protection law by failing to create these safe guards and engaging in unlawful marketing practices to drive sales.

According to Healey, Injured Worker Pharmacy also pressured pharmacists to fill prescriptions faster and implemented programs that prioritized dispensing speed and volume over protecting its patients.

Healey said between 2006 and 2012, Injured Workers Pharmacy was the largest recipient of opioid pills in Massachusetts, receiving more than 34 million pills during that time.

"Injured Workers Pharmacy created an illegal operation that put dispensing speed and volume over patient and public safety,"Healey said in a statement. "They dispensed thousands of prescriptions for dangerous drugs, including opioids like fentanyl, with a shocking lack of regard for whether those prescriptions were legitimate. Combating the opioid epidemic remains a top priority of my office, and we will aggressively pursue those who break our laws to profit from this crisis."

A spokesperson for Injured Workers Pharmacy told WBUR the company has changed its practices since new leadership took over in 2017. Policies and trainings were updated, and company-wide, the pharmacy now uses a system to flag signs of potential problems and drug misuse.

"As a result of full cooperation with the attorney general's investigation, we have carefully considered how we can further improve our already strong protocols and continue to show industry leadership in addressing the risks of diversion, misuse and abuse associated with controlled substances," a company spokesperson told WBUR. "This agreement emphasizes IWP's commitment to a comprehensive and best in class compliance program and to preventing the abuse and misuse of controlled substances; it also eliminates the cost and time associated with a lengthy legal case and allows IWP to focus on providing best in class service to its patients."