Drugs Continue Flowing Out Of Unsafe NJ Pharmacy: AG

WOODBURY, NJ — A pharmacy that was temporarily closed after unsafe practices and misconduct with patients now must be sold after its owner continued prescribing drugs, the United States Attorney General's Office for New Jersey said.

Owner and operator of Woodbury Family Pharmacy, Nittal K. Lodha, temporarily lost her certification to practice after she operated in unsanitary conditions and interfered with patients' rights to get medications from other pharmacies.

In the weeks after, Lodha continued to fill and dispense prescriptions, officials said, from the pharmacy's drug inventory.

She is now required, under a Consent Order, to sell the pharmacy to a State Board of Pharmacy-approved buyer over 69 days. She also is not allowed to go inside the property other than to conduct the sale or respond to audits, both of which cases must be alongside a Board-approved monitor.

Lodha also agreed to remain out of practice until allegations against her are resolved.

"Pharmacists entrusted with the health and safety of their patients cannot simply ignore a Board order and continue practicing as they please," said Attorney General Jennifer Davenport. "The allegations in this case, if proven, demonstrate a blatant disregard for the rules and safeguards designed to protect the public."

Woodbury and Lodha's ability to gain a limited reinstatement from their initial suspensions were also revoked as part of this latest development.

According to the Board's initial actions against Lodha, her interference with their rights to get medications from other pharmacies led to people rationing their supplies or forgoing them altogether.

The rationing, according to one patient's doctor, may have contributed to his death, the Order brought forth by the State Board of Pharmacy said.

Lodha is said to have repeatedly disregarded requests to stop filling prescriptions and to send patients to other pharmacies.

She then filled orders herself with medicine kept in unsanitary conditions, with the wrong dosages, or put the items in packages with broken safety seals or missing pills.

Officials argue that her actions resulted in adverse health consequences, emotional distress, and deterioration of medical conditions.

"Patients depend on pharmacists and pharmacies to provide safe, lawful, and reliable access to prescription medications," Jeremy E. Hollander, Acting Director of the Division of Consumer Affairs, said. "Those that fall short of those expectations will be held accountable."

The state sought an immediate temporary suspension of Lodha's ability to practice and Woodbury's permit on June 5, a decision that was granted and later ratified on June 24.

According to Lodha, she is also a lifestyle and nutrition coach and would see 600 to 1,000 patients per month with no such complaints as were presented to her by the Board.

She denied "essentially every claim," the Board added, but is said to have misrepresented facts, including that she complied with the requirement to transfer prescriptions within four hours.

If temporary reinstatement is granted, Lodha cannot serve as a registered pharmacist in charge in New Jersey, cannot serve as a preceptor, and cannot engage in any compounding actions, including sterile, non-sterile, and/or hazardous situations.

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