The compounding pharmacy Maida Pharmacy, Inc. in Arlington agreed to pay $25,000 to settle claims that they mishandled recordkeeping and disposal of controlled substances, authorities announced. The penalty was imposed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for not complying with required paperwork and protocols under the Controlled Substances Act. Maida admitted to lacking proper record-keeping and security measures during a Drug Enforcement Administration inspection.

Under the Act's watchful eye, Maida should have had a lock-tight inventory and disposal process for controlled substances, but the DEA discovered the opposite. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the pharmacy came clean about their employees pitching Ketamine into the curbside hustle and bustle trash, a far cry from the proper methods of destruction mandated by federal law.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy, amid announcing the settlement, further pulled the curtain back on the Arlington retail outlet's shortcomings, which included skipping out on their mandatory inventory accountability audit. Failing to enforce an adequate security system for controlling its substances was another red flag raised during their examination.

Brian D. Boyle, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Boston Field Division, underscored the gravity of maintaining scrupulous records of controlled substances, given how they can end up on the streets, contributing to the ongoing drug crisis. Maida admitted that instead of destroying the Ketamine in accordance with the Act, there were multiple slip-ups resulting in them literally throwing care to the wind.

The case received its due diligence from Assistant U.S. Attorney Julien M. Mundele of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit. This recent legal issue is a strong reminder for pharmacies of the serious responsibilities and obligations they have under federal narcotics laws.