Pharmacy distribution worker swapped prescription drug with aspirin and Tylenol, feds say
A former pharmacy distribution employee in Pennsylvania has been indicted in federal court after authorities said he swapped prescription drugs with over-the-counter medication.
While working for McKesson Corporation’s New Castle Distribution Center, the man removed oxycodone hydrochloride tablets from Mallinckrodt-brand bottles and replaced the drugs with aspirin, Tylenol or a cough and cold medication, according to an Oct. 18 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
The tampered bottles were then put back into McKesson’s inventory and taken to pharmacies, including one in Ohio, authorities said.
The 41-year-old man does not have a defense attorney listed in public court records as of Oct. 19. McClatchy News reached out to McKesson and was awaiting a response.
Authorities do not know when the man began tampering with medication, but it ended Jan. 26, 2022, according to the release.
Oxycodone hydrochloride is a “potent painkiller,” authorities said.
The man is charged with tampering with consumer products, court records show. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a possible $250,000 fine.
New Castle is about 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.
What to know about the US opioid crisis
Overdoses are a leading cause of injury-related death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2021, there were nearly 51,000 overdose deaths in the country, according to CDC data. In the past 21 years, drug overdoses have killed more than 932,000 people, the CDC reported.
“The majority of overdose deaths involve opioids. Deaths involving synthetic opioids (largely illicitly made fentanyl) and stimulants (such as cocaine and methamphetamine) have increased in recent years,” the CDC said. “For every drug overdose that results in death, there are many more nonfatal overdoses, each one with its own emotional and economic toll.”
Millions of people in the U.S. have an opioid addiction, according to the CDC. Addiction is a “chronic and relapsing disease that can affect anyone.”
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