Middlesex Company Distributed 25,000 Unauthorized Prescription Blanks: AG

​A Middlesex County printing company that distributed 25,000 prescription blanks to unauthorized individuals, including 20,000 that wound up in Toms River, has had its authority to print blanks terminated, state officials announced.

Downtown Printing Center of New Brunswick must stop producing and distributing prescription blanks for at least three years, and must destroy or forward to the state all equipment used in the production of blanks, and any materials it has in stock, under a final consent order terminating the company’s authorization as a New Jersey Prescription Blanks vendor, the state attorney general's office said.

“New Jersey is fighting a prescription drug epidemic that’s ruining lives and tearing apart families and we need everyone to do their part in keeping drugs out of the hands of dealers and abusers,” Acting Attorney General Robert Lougy said. “Issuing prescription blanks without verifying they’re going to licensed prescribers only does harm to our efforts to fight this epidemic.”

“We have strict security regulations in place to ensure that only authorized prescribers whose licenses are in good standing have access to prescription blanks,” said Steve Lee, acting director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. “Any vendor that fails to follow those procedures, whether through negligence or by design, will be penalized.”

Between August 2012 and December 2014, Downtown Printing filled six orders totaling 25,000 blank prescriptions in the name of three individuals claiming to be licensed physicians, Lougy's office said. None of the individuals whose names were on the order forms were New Jersey licensed physicians. Their names are being withheld by the Division because none of them were involved in the scheme and were unaware their names were being used on the orders.

On Aug. 22, 2012, Downtown Printing received one order for 5,000 blanks in the name of “physician” G.W. The order was shipped to an address in Sayreville.

Between January and November of 2013, Downtown Printing received three separate orders totaling 10,000 blanks in the name of “physician” C.A. The orders were placed by an individual who claimed she was a nurse in C.A.’s Toms River practice. Over the course of 11 months the orders were filled and shipped via UPS to a residential property in Toms River.

On Nov. 14, 2014, Downtown Printing received an order for 5,000 blanks in C.A.’s name. The order was picked up at the printing company by an individual whose identity was not verified.

On Nov. 18, 2013, Downtown Printing received an order for 5,000 blanks in the name of “physician” L.R. The order was filled and shipped by UPS to the same Toms River address as C.A.’s orders.

Following an investigation, the division found Downtown Printing violated the regulations for ordering the prescription blanks by, among other things, failing to verify that the blanks were being issued to prescribers whose licenses were active and in good standing, and that they were being shipped to the prescribers’ addresses of record in the division’s database.

Downtown Printing also failed to verify the identity and authority of the individuals who ordered blanks and failed to verify the identity and authority of the individual that picked up the order at the printing company.

Downtown Printing agreed to resolve the matter by surrendering its authority as a prescription blanks vendor for a minimum of three years. The printing company may reapply for vendor authorization following the mandatory termination period. If approved, the company would be on probation for at least two years, during which it would be subject to six-month audits of its prescription blank ordering and printing processes.

Consumers who believe they have been cheated or scammed by a business, or suspect any other form of consumer abuse, can file a complaint with the State Division of Consumer Affairs by visiting its website or by calling 1-800-242-5846 (toll free within New Jersey) or 973-504-6200.

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