4 Vancouver pharmacists sanctioned for alleged mishandling of opioids

Prescription drugs are seen on shelves at a pharmacy in Montreal on March 11, 2021. (Ryan Remiorz / The Canadian Press) (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)

Four Vancouver pharmacists face interim disciplinary measures as their provincial college investigates them for alleged mishandling of opioids.

The four pharmacists – Karandeep Singh Chohan, Charanjit Pal, Mamteshwari Ravnita Latchman and Jennifer Van Bui – are associated with two pharmacies on Fraser Street, according to the College of Pharmacists of B.C. (CPBC).

The allegations against them stem from an investigation that began following inspections of the Fraser Outreach Pharmacy and the Fraser Neighbourhood Pharmacy last year, the college said in a news release Thursday.

“The inspections identified alleged breaches of the CPBC’s bylaws and standards under the Health Professions Act and the Pharmacy Operations and Drug Scheduling Act,” the release reads.

The allegations under investigation relate to the provision of Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) services, narcotic inventory control and management, prescription checking requirements, record keeping and compliance with ethical standards, among other things, the college said.

“Our responsibility is to make sure pharmacy care in B.C. is safe and ethical and we take this mandate extremely seriously,” said Suzanne Solven, CPBC’s registrar and CEO, in the release.

“Our investigations follow a procedurally fair process as required under Canadian law. Any regulatory action normally requires waiting until the investigation is complete. However, in this case the preliminary evidence and the allegations are so serious that the inquiry committee decided the extraordinary step of interim actions were necessary to protect the public while the investigation is underway.”

Chohan – the former manager of Fraser Outreach Pharmacy at 4127 Fraser St. – will have his registration suspended, effective May 25, while the other three pharmacists will have conditions placed on their practice while the investigation proceeds.

Lachtman and Van Bui – who were staff pharmacists at Fraser Outreach Pharmacy – are already subject to their conditions, which took effect on March 24.

Conditions on Pal, who is the manager at Fraser Neighbourhood Pharmacy at 3373 Fraser St., will take effect May 12.

Public notifications on the CPBC website provide additional details on the allegations against each pharmacist and the information the inquiry committee considered when determining that interim sanctions against them were necessary.

‘Five previous occasions’

In Chohan’s case, the committee determined there would be “a real risk of harm to patients, pharmacy professionals or other members of the public” if he were not suspended.

The public notification lists a variety of alleged misconduct, including:

• Inadequate narcotic inventory control and management
• Inadequate prescription final check requirements
• Inaccurate PharmaNet record keeping
• Inadequate patient consultations
• Non-compliance with OAT dispensing standards
• Non-compliance with OAT delivery standards
• Inadequate supervision of non-registrant staff
• Breaches sections of the college’s Code of Ethics relating to “benefiting society,” “personal and professional integrity,” and “ethical business practices”

The document indicates Chohan has been investigated for similar allegations “on five previous occasions” between 2016 and 2023, and has made “undertakings” to abide by the rules in response to previous investigations.

This history contributed to the committee’s decision to suspend him.

“Given the registrant’s previous investigations and his history of making undertakings and declarations involving the same or similar conduct, the panel was concerned that the registrant may not abide by limits and conditions placed on his registration,” the public notification reads.

Chohan’s registration will remain suspended from May 27 until the completion of the investigation and any resulting disciplinary hearing, according to the college.

Practice conditions

The public notifications regarding Pal, Lachtman and Van Bui cite the same alleged misconduct as the Chohan document.

In each case, however, the inquiry committee determined that limitations on the registrant’s practice – rather than a suspension – would be sufficient to protect the public during the investigation.

For Lachtman and Van Bui, these limitations are identical. Each woman must:

• Not work at either Fraser Outreach Pharmacy or Fraser Neighborhood Pharmacy
• Not work with Chohan or Pal
• Notify the college in writing of every pharmacy where she works
• Not provide any OAT services
• Not provide any services related to “safe supply”
• And not act “as pharmacy manager, preceptor, supervisor or owner at any pharmacy in any form or capacity”

Pal is subject to the same conditions, plus three others:

• He must not “provide any services related to narcotics in any form or capacity”
• He must not “provide any pharmacy delivery services”
• And he must not “delegate any aspect of his practice to any other person, including to any pharmacy assistants.”

Pal was previously investigated for similar concerns in 2021, according to the college.

Critics of B.C.’s “safer supply” program for drug users have long complained about prescription opioids being “diverted” from their intended users and sold on the black market.

After previously denying that diversion was a significant problem, the province announced earlier this year that it would be switching to a “witnessed-only” model for safer supply, meaning users must consume their prescribed drugs in the presence of a pharmacist.

When announcing the change, Health Minister Josie Osborne also blamed a few dozen “bad actor” pharmacies that she said were abusing the province’s payment structure for safer supply. She promised changes to the fee structure aimed at preventing this abuse in the future.

• Read more: B.C. ends take-home safer supply of opioids to stop criminal diversion
• Alleged ‘inappropriate’ dispensing of narcotics under investigation at Vancouver pharmacy