Morning Star Pharmacy & Medical Supply 1
Outcome
DEA revoked Morning Star Pharmacy's DEA Certificate of Registration No. FM3950070 in August 2020 for filling controlled substance prescriptions with multiple unresolved red flags and for employing a pharmacist who had surrendered two DEA registrations in violation of 21 CFR 1301.76(a), after DEA denied a waiver request in 2015.
Details
Morning Star Pharmacy & Medical Supply 1 — DEA Revocation for Red Flag Failures and Prohibited Employee (2015–2020)
Outcome: DEA revoked Morning Star Pharmacy's DEA Certificate of Registration No. FM3950070 in a Decision and Order published August 19, 2020, for filling controlled substance prescriptions with multiple unresolved red flags, and for employing a pharmacist who had surrendered two DEA registrations in violation of 21 C.F.R. § 1301.76(a), after DEA had explicitly denied the owner's waiver request in 2015.
Morning Star Pharmacy & Medical Supply 1 was a pharmacy located in Cedar Hill, Texas, operated by owner Ijeoma Amadi. The DEA's case established violations in two categories.
First, the pharmacy filled controlled substance prescriptions presenting multiple red flags without resolving them: pattern prescribing, long patient travel distances, cash payments, dangerous drug cocktail combinations, high doses and quantities of high-alert controlled substances, and prescriptions lacking required information (such as the patient's address or the prescriber's DEA number).
Second, and independently, Ijeoma Amadi employed her husband, Dr. Emmanuel Amadi, as a pharmacist at Morning Star Pharmacy. Dr. Emmanuel Amadi had previously surrendered two DEA registrations. Under 21 C.F.R. § 1301.76(a), an individual who has surrendered a DEA registration may not be employed in a capacity providing access to controlled substances without a DEA waiver. Ijeoma Amadi requested such a waiver from the DEA in July 2015, but the DEA denied the request. Despite the denial, she continued to employ Dr. Amadi, putting the pharmacy in ongoing violation of the regulation.
Primary Source: Morning Star Pharmacy & Medical Supply 1; Decision and Order (Fed. Reg. Aug. 19, 2020)
How Crucible Prevents This
Morning Star employed a pharmacist who had twice previously surrendered DEA registrations — a prior-disciplinary red flag — in violation of a specific federal prohibition after DEA denied a waiver. Crucible's staff DEA registration history screening controls would have flagged this employee's prior surrenders before hiring, preventing the violation before it triggered an Order to Show Cause.
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