Cure CVS Now Blog
Cure CVS has found expired food, infant formula and over-the-counter medication for sale at hundreds of CVS stores. While many of these problems persist, now it seems there's another reason to be cautious of the products on some CVS shelves.
Recalled Tylenol products still on store shelves [Bakersfield Now, 1/20/09]
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Walking out of a local pharmacy store, Kim Van Tassoe said she was not aware of a recall of numerous Tylenol products.
"It's very concerning, and I had no idea," said Van Tassoe.
The list includes batches of Tylenol, both regular and extra strength, Children's Tylenol, Eight-hour Tylenol, Tylenol Arthritis, Tylenol PM, Children's Motrin, Motrin IB, Benadryl, Rolaids, Simply Sleep and St. Joseph's Aspirin.
Read the full story at
Bakersfield Now.
Posted by Alex G. on January 25, 2010, 9:06 AM
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In June 2009, Cure CVS sent
a letter to Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, calling on the Attorney General to investigate CVS's sales of expired products in Connecticut. Cure CVS visited 20 CVS stores in Connecticut in May 2009 and found expired products at over half of them.
On Monday, five months later, Attorney General Blumenthal announced that Connecticut is suing CVS for selling expired goods. According to
Reuters, "antacids, baby formula, cough medicine, energy drinks and foods including eggs, milk and yogurt" were among the expired products found by the Attorney General's office for sale at CVS stores. According to
WFSB in Hartford, the investigations - which took place in 2008 and 2009 - "showed that the problem worsened last year, and that nearly half of CVS stores surveyed this year were found selling expired products."
Blumenthal
said of the lawsuit:
"CVS peddled potentially tainted food and ineffective medicine. Whether CVS was careless or heedless or overzealous for revenue, it betrayed its trust to consumers."
Monday's announcement comes after
CVS agreed to pay $875,000 to settle allegations in New York on issues surrounding the sale of expired products. New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed suit against CVS in June 2008 for "its pervasive sales of expired products." Earlier this year
CVS also agreed to pay almost $1 million to settle similar allegations in California. And
the City of Philadelphia created a law prohibiting the sale of expired non-prescription drugs, infant formula, baby food, milk, milk products and eggs within Philadelphia. The law was inspired by CVS's recurring problems with the sale of expired goods in the city.
Taken together, these actions point to a widespread problem at CVS pharmacies.
CVS has been caught selling expired products at stores across the country, and while the steps taken in Connecticut, California, New York and Philadelphia are promising, many more consumers could be at risk. If you find an expired product for sale at a CVS pharmacy near you, be sure to
let us know about it.
Related:
Posted by Alex G. on December 1, 2009, 1:06 PM
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As this year's cold and flu season intensifies, many pharmacies are giving out free doses of flu medicine. But the
Michigan Attorney General found that the CVS Pharmacy on Fuller Ave. in Grand Rapids, MI. is not only
not giving away the medicine for free, it's charging more than any other pharmacy in the state it surveyed.
In an undercover investigation, the Michigan Attorney General's Office surveyed 50 pharmacies across the state to see how much they charged for the flu treatment and prevention medicine Tamiflu. Among the Attorney General's findings: the CVS Pharmacy on Fuller Ave. in Grand Rapids charged $140 for medicine which many pharmacies have been giving away for free. That's more than any other pharmacy surveyed in Michigan. You can see the full results of the Attorney General's survey
here.
"The high cost at some pharmacies of a drug that can save lives is disturbing," Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox said in a statement. Attorneys General in Mississippi and Connecticut agree: both are investigating Tamiflu prices at pharmacies in their respective states.
Senator Christopher Dodd, who chairs the Senate health subcommittee on children and families, has
asked for a federal investigation into pricing differences.
"Forcing some parents to pay three times the cost for medicine for their sick child during a national health crisis is deplorable," Dodd said in a
statement. "Price gouging is never acceptable = but price gouging on Tamiflu endangers our children. If it's happening, it must be stopped, and it must be stopped now."
This isn't the first time customers have faced price issues at a CVS Pharmacy. The chain is
the single most penalized retailer in Massachusetts for overcharging and other pricing violations. CVS has also been caught
charging more than its advertised prices, as noted in a survey by the Chicago Department of Consumer Services. 54% of the CVS stores inspected by the agency in September 2007 were charging consumers more than items' advertised prices.
Prices for H1N1 drug Tamiflu vary widely for same dose [USA Today, 11/18/09]
AG probes varied prices of liquid Tamiflu at Michigan pharmacies [Detroit Free Press, 11/23/09]
Report Shows Some Parents Being Charged 3X More For Children's Medicine [Senator Christopher Dodd Press Release]
Posted by Alex G. on November 23, 2009, 5:59 PM
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CVS Caremark
has agreed to pay $875,000 to settle allegations on issues surrounding the sale of expired products in New York State. The settlement comes after New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed suit against CVS in June 2008 for "its pervasive sales of expired products."
This is the second time that CVS has agreed to settle charges of selling expired goods in New York. In 2003, after being caught selling expired medicine, CVS signed an "Assurance of Discontinuance" agreement with the state and promised to refrain from selling expired goods. The Attorney General had found expired CVS-brand children's non-aspirin pain reliever, topical anti-infection ointment and ibuprofen tablets. The company paid a $3,500 penalty.
The Attorney General's more recent investigation found 142 CVS stores - or about 60% of those visited - selling products such as baby formula, milk, eggs and over-the-counter drugs past their expiration dates. Attorney General Cuomo, quoted in an article by Dow Jones, explained the terms of the new settlement:
"CVS will pay $875,000 in penalties, costs and fees, and will commit to policies and procedures designed to prevent expired products from being stocked on its shelves, including training for CVS employees...CVS stores in New York will undergo internal compliance checks for expired products, with any store that fails a compliance check paying a $2,500 penalty...[and] the settlement also requires CVS to post notices reminding customers to check expiration dates of over-the-counter drugs, infant formula, milk, and eggs in the aisles in which these products are sold."
New York is not the only state where CVS has been caught selling expired goods. In June,
Cure CVS called on the Attorneys General of 39 states and the District of Columbia to investigate the company's sale of expired goods in those jurisdictions.
Have you found expired products at a CVS store near you? Use our
photo uploader to send us shots of what you've found.
CVS settles N.Y. charges it sold expired products [Reuters]NY AG: CVS To Pay $875,000 To End Expired-Products Probe [Dow Jones Newswire via Wall Street Journal]Statement from New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo
Posted by Alex G. on November 10, 2009, 5:01 PM
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Read more about Sept. 24th's press conference in Philadelphia
here.
Posted by Alex G. on September 25, 2009, 12:03 PM
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At a press conference today outside a CVS Pharmacy in Philadelphia, leaders of the non-profit
Calcutta House announced that the organization is severing long-standing ties with CVS Pharmacy. The announcement comes after CVS suspended prescription service to some of Philadelphia's most vulnerable patients last week, amidst a state budget crisis in Pennsylvania.
When Calcutta House, which serves AIDS patients who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, asked its vendors for compassion during a difficult financial time, all of them were happy to help--except for CVS. When the small organization ordered its regular supply of prescription drugs from CVS, the pharmacy chain showed no sympathy and refused to fill the order without immediate payment.
"Calcutta House has worked with CVS/Pharmacare for years, and our residents depend on these prescriptions," said Calcutta House Executive Director Matthew Teter. "The company's recent actions reveal that it cares more about its bottom line than the health of the patients it claims to serve. That's not the kind of company we want to give our business to."
Calcutta House normally orders between 15,000 and 18,000 dosages of medicine each month. The outstanding balance on its account when CVS refused to fill the prescription order was less than $300.
Continue reading this post...
Posted by Alex G. on September 24, 2009, 1:55 PM
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CVS Caremark Corp. made
$3.21 billion in profit in 2008 - up almost 22% from the year before. And while much of that was made selling toothpaste and aspirin in its stores, CVS had an additional source of gains last year: tax dollars.
CVS has taken massive tax breaks and subsidies from the states and cities where it operates its stores, padding the revenue of its multi-billion-dollar pharmacy empire. In May of this year, a
report from the Rhode Island Division of Taxation revealed CVS pays
less than half the normal corporate income tax rate in Rhode Island, where CVS has its headquarters. The reduced rate is made possible by a state tax loophole and has allowed CVS to avoid paying nearly $14 million in state taxes.
On top of it corporate tax strategy,
Providence Business News reports that CVS also tops the list of companies benefiting from corporate tax credits in Rhode Island. According to the report, CVS received $12.8 million in tax credits in the state - 40% of the total credits allocated that year in Rhode Island.
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C.,
CVS is set to receive $1.9 million in tax increment financing - a city-paid subsidy - to build a single pharmacy. In a city with thriving retail pharmacy competition and a whopping 52 CVS stores , are such tax incentives really necessary?
Considering the numerous problems at CVS stores - continuing problems with
expired products,
pricing violations in multiple states,
unequal access in low-income communities and communities of color, and questions of
patient privacy violations - it seems that these credits, breaks and subsidies could be better spent.
Posted by Alex G. on September 21, 2009, 2:09 PM
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Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter recently
signed into law (PDF) a bill prohibiting the sale of expired non-prescription drugs, infant formula, baby food, milk, milk products and eggs within Philadelphia. Many thanks to the Cure CVS coalition members who made this victory possible!
Cure CVS initially found outdated products at CVS stores in Philadelphia in
late 2008, and revisited stores in
early 2009 (PDF). As late as May of this year, CVS was
still selling expired goods in its Philadelphia stores, despite citations from state inspectors and complaints from consumers.
The new law is a fantastic step forward for consumers in Philadelphia, but CVS stores are selling expired goods in stores all over the country, not just in Pennsylvania. In hopes of ending this practice nationwide, Cure CVS sent
letters to the Attorneys General of 39 states and the District of Columbia, asking that CVS be investigated for selling expired goods.
Click here to read about your state.
These incidents aren't isolated: our investigation found evidence that CVS has a pattern of selling expired products. If you find an expired item on the shelf of your local CVS store, let us know about it:
upload your photos of expired products found at CVS stores.
Posted by Alex G. on September 17, 2009, 11:05 AM
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