Drug distributor settles monitoring dispute

Increasingly, lawmakers and health officials are relying on data to monitor opioid diversion and misuse, and every link in the supply chain is a potential source of data.

McKesson Corporation—a large healthcare services company that distributes prescription drug products—this week finalized administrative and civil settlements to the tune of $150 million to resolve claims that the company did not adequately monitor and report suspicious orders for controlled substances. The charges brought by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Department of Justice (DOJ) date back to 2009.

McKesson has since implemented changes to its monitoring and reporting processes, according to the company. As part of the settlement, DEA will suspend for limited periods of time McKesson’s DEA registrations to distribute certain controlled substances in Colorado, Ohio, Michigan and Florida. Additionally, McKesson and the DEA plan to meet regularly over the next five years.

For the fiscal year 2016, McKesson had revenues of $190.9 billion.