A Vancouver pharmacist has been suspended after admitting to misconduct involving dispensing more than 28,000 doses of naloxone to one person.
Geoffrey Kyle Soo Chan was suspended six months and ordered to pay a $20,000 fine, according to a consent order agreed to by Chan and posted online by the College of Pharmacists of B.C.
Chan, manager of Pharmachoice Main on Main Street, was also directed to take remedial courses as part of the suspension that took effect Dec. 3.
Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 31, 2021, Chan processed about 1,646 transactions involving 28,404 doses of naloxone nasal spray, using the personal health information and PharmaNet records of 301 patients, who lived in communities across B.C., according to the agreement.
However, they all went to one person who “purported to act in the capacity of patient representative,” according to the agreement.
The agreement says Chan processed and dispensed the spray without obtaining patient consent, which is against the profession’s code of ethics.
It also says he failed to take reasonable steps to confirm the identity of a patient, or patient representative, before providing a pharmacy service that requires accessing, using, or disclosing of patient personal health information.
Chan “failed to protect and promote the health and well-being of the patient, exercise his professional judgment in furtherance of the best interests of the patient, and support the patient in making informed choices about care by explaining the benefits and risks associated with naloxone nasal spray,” the agreement says.
Chan has agreed to thoroughly review and understand various laws and standards governing pharmacists, complete several remedial courses, and submit to the college a written statement describing his learnings from the courses.
Chan must also write and pass the college’s law exam at his own cost.