Truepill (PostMeds, Inc.)
Outcome
DEA issued Order to Show Cause December 15, 2022, for unlawfully dispensing over 72,000 controlled substance prescriptions including thousands of stimulants in excess of 90-day limits and written by unlicensed prescribers; settled November 2023 with accepted responsibility.
Details
Truepill (PostMeds, Inc.) — DEA Order to Show Cause for Unlawful Stimulant Dispensing (2022–2023)
Outcome: DEA issued an Order to Show Cause on December 15, 2022, against Truepill for unlawfully dispensing over 72,000 controlled substance prescriptions — 60% of which were stimulants including generic Adderall — written by unlicensed prescribers or in excess of 90-day supply limits; Truepill accepted responsibility in a settlement agreement announced November 6, 2023.
Truepill, operating as PostMeds, Inc., was an online pharmacy headquartered in San Mateo, California, that served as the preferred pharmacy partner for online mental health company Cerebral. Between September 2020 and September 2022, Truepill filled more than 72,000 controlled substance prescriptions, approximately 60% of which were for stimulants including generic forms of Adderall (amphetamine/dextroamphetamine).
DEA's investigation found that in numerous instances, Truepill dispensed controlled substances pursuant to prescriptions that were not issued for a legitimate medical purpose in the usual course of professional practice. Specifically, Truepill filled prescriptions that were unlawful because they exceeded the 90-day supply limits for Schedule II controlled substances and/or were written by prescribers who did not possess the proper state licensing required to prescribe controlled substances in the states where patients were located.
DEA Administrator Anne Milgram issued the Order to Show Cause on December 15, 2022. Truepill settled with the DEA in November 2023. Under the settlement, Truepill accepted responsibility for operating an unregistered online pharmacy, filling prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances in excess of the 90-day limit, and filling prescriptions written by medical providers who did not have the required licenses — all in violation of federal law.
Primary Source: DEA Press Release — DEA Serves Order to Show Cause on Truepill Pharmacy (Dec. 15, 2022)
How Crucible Prevents This
Truepill filled prescriptions from medical providers who did not have required state licenses and exceeded the 90-day Schedule II supply limit — both are bright-line regulatory rules that a Crucible-enforced dispensing control would have flagged at point of fill. Automated prescriber license verification integrated into the dispensing workflow would have prevented these violations before they accumulated across 72,000 prescriptions.
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