Several Walgreens customers contacted Action 9, claiming that the pharmacy chain refuses to fill their pain prescriptions.
Walgreens has a policy to curb narcotics abuse, but Action 9’s Todd Ulrich found that the company won’t reveal its guidelines, and its secret policy can punish legitimate customers, too.
Manuel Rabell’s back pain was so bad that his doctor prescribed the potent painkiller hydrocodone. But at Walgreens, the pharmacist refused to fill it, saying that it didn’t fit their policy guidelines. [Full text]
Walgreens’ policy does not reflect ethical concerns about the drug itself or the mechanism of action, but appears to be a consequence of having been fined $80 million for filling fraudulent prescriptions in Florida.