Expired Goods On CVS Shelves in Philadelphia
Fox 29 in Philadelphia spoke with Cure CVS representatives about expired products on CVS's shelves, and decided to investigate for themselves. Visit the Fox 29 website for the full video - a transcript of the story is below.------------------------------------
Experts always say it's best to throw out those expired medications, so why did one pharmacy chain have out of date products on its shelves?Fox 29 reporter Joyce Evans checked out Philadelphia's stores to find if expired products are being sold right here in Philadelphia. She has this exclusive report.
Joanna Bouldin, Change to Win: This box of Momentum backache relief expired in November of '07, so this is over a year old.
Joyce Evans, Fox 29: It was one of over thirty products consumer advocacy group Change to Win displayed at City Hall.
Bouldin: This gallon of milk expired four days before we purchased it.
Evans: Not just dairy products and over-the-counter adult pain relief.
Bouldin: (At a package of Enfamil infant formula) This expired in November.
Evans: Outdated baby formula, and other over-the-counter treatments and medications for children.
Bouldin: Expired in September. So this is about three months old.
Evans: From a couple of days to over a year. CVS reciepts show the group was sold expired goods during a spot check of CVS pharmacy stores in Philadelphia.
Danielle Newsom, Change to Win: You buy most medicine now, it expires in 2011. So you wouldn't expect to buy something that expired months or even a year ago.
Evans: Health experts like our own Dr. Mike Cirigliano say out-of-date does not always mean the medicine is no good, but:
Dr. Mike Cirigliano: You don't know whether that medication has become less potent, it's not as strong, it may have changed in some ways and the forumla may have separated, it may have become dangerous or non-nutritional and in a growing infant that's the last thing you want to do.
Evams: We took a Fox 29 under-cover camera on our own random spot check of five CVS stores. No problem at the CVS at 11th and South. Outdated milk at Rising Sun and Kirk. Badly damaged boxes on Sheltenham Avenue. We found this outdated children's motion sickness medication in CVS at 61st and 5th St. We bought this one already expired for over a year at the CVS on Market Street, just three blocks from City Hall.
Lance Haver, Philadelphia Consumer Advocate: They're taking care of your health, and what they're really doing is undermining children's health by selling out-of-date products.
Bouldin: I'm appalled. You know, I really thought that after the Attorney General sued the company in New York that they would take that as a wake up call and that they would clean up their shelves.
Evans: CVS corporate told Fox 29 a directive to clear the shelves was sent to all CVS stores in early December. All of these items were purchased in Philadelphia days and weeks later. CVS corporate sent Fox 29 a written statement apologizing for the policy error, promising to do better and stating quote: "We recently retrained our employees to ensure compliance with that policy."
Saul Weiss, Attorney: They obviously didn't do it in the stores that you were in.
Evans: Product liability attorney Saul Weiss says it's unfair, deceptive and illegal.
Weiss: The statement that they're trying to enforce their policy is not good enough, no it's not. They have to enforce their policy.
Haver: I don't want to hear another word from CVS. What I want is the Attorney General of Pennsylvania to join the Attorney Generals across the country, New York and California, in prosecuting CVS.
Evans: The consumer advocates say they have alerted the Attorney General's office. A spokesman for Tom Corbit told us the AG has not yet seen the CVS complaint. CVS is advising customers to return any outdated items for refund. Our Dr. Mike, well he says it's best to check product expiration dates before you buy them and every time you use them. Joyce Evans, Fox 29 News.
Bouldin: Expired in September. So this is about three months old.
Evans: From a couple of days to over a year. CVS reciepts show the group was sold expired goods during a spot check of CVS pharmacy stores in Philadelphia.
Danielle Newsom, Change to Win: You buy most medicine now, it expires in 2011. So you wouldn't expect to buy something that expired months or even a year ago.
Evans: Health experts like our own Dr. Mike Cirigliano say out-of-date does not always mean the medicine is no good, but:
Dr. Mike Cirigliano: You don't know whether that medication has become less potent, it's not as strong, it may have changed in some ways and the forumla may have separated, it may have become dangerous or non-nutritional and in a growing infant that's the last thing you want to do.
Evams: We took a Fox 29 under-cover camera on our own random spot check of five CVS stores. No problem at the CVS at 11th and South. Outdated milk at Rising Sun and Kirk. Badly damaged boxes on Sheltenham Avenue. We found this outdated children's motion sickness medication in CVS at 61st and 5th St. We bought this one already expired for over a year at the CVS on Market Street, just three blocks from City Hall.
Lance Haver, Philadelphia Consumer Advocate: They're taking care of your health, and what they're really doing is undermining children's health by selling out-of-date products.
Bouldin: I'm appalled. You know, I really thought that after the Attorney General sued the company in New York that they would take that as a wake up call and that they would clean up their shelves.
Evans: CVS corporate told Fox 29 a directive to clear the shelves was sent to all CVS stores in early December. All of these items were purchased in Philadelphia days and weeks later. CVS corporate sent Fox 29 a written statement apologizing for the policy error, promising to do better and stating quote: "We recently retrained our employees to ensure compliance with that policy."
Saul Weiss, Attorney: They obviously didn't do it in the stores that you were in.
Evans: Product liability attorney Saul Weiss says it's unfair, deceptive and illegal.
Weiss: The statement that they're trying to enforce their policy is not good enough, no it's not. They have to enforce their policy.
Haver: I don't want to hear another word from CVS. What I want is the Attorney General of Pennsylvania to join the Attorney Generals across the country, New York and California, in prosecuting CVS.
Evans: The consumer advocates say they have alerted the Attorney General's office. A spokesman for Tom Corbit told us the AG has not yet seen the CVS complaint. CVS is advising customers to return any outdated items for refund. Our Dr. Mike, well he says it's best to check product expiration dates before you buy them and every time you use them. Joyce Evans, Fox 29 News.
Posted by Alex G. on January 7, 2009, 9:44 AM
1 Comment
Comments posted to the Cure CVS Blog are the sole property of the individual posting them, and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the Cure CVS campaign, Change to Win, its affiliated unions, or its leadership.
what is the policy if someone finds an expiered item in the CVS store, I heard on the radio they are to pay $5.oo to the person who finds it in NJ.
MJ