A pharmacy that dealt also with veterinary prescriptions was fined €14,000 yesterday after Cork District Court heard that on various occasions in 2010 animal remedies were dispensed to customers without the required signature or prescription from a veterinarian.
Classes Lake Pharmacy in Ovens, Co Cork, pleaded guilty to 14 offences under the Pharmacy Act, 2007, which related to dispensing animal remedies without valid prescriptions, selling animal medication without a prescription, failing to keep a record and failing to mark the animal products as dispensed.
Judge Olann Kelleher said the pharmacy was unusual in that the proprietor, Dan McCarthy, was both a pharmacist and a veterinarian.
All of the breaches which the pharmacy admitted to referred to failures relating to the prescribing of animal medications dispensed to veterinarian clients of the owner.
The offences were discovered in September 2010 when Lisa Kielty of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) called to the Classes Lake chemist in Ovens to examine the sale and supply of medication.
She noted irregular practices relating to the dispensing of animal medication.
Barrister Noel Whelan, representing the PSI, said the prescription system requires detailed recording in order to guarantee the safety of the process.
The court heard the Department of Agriculture and the PSI needed to know the stock that was going in and out for security, integrity and traceability purposes.
Judge Kelleher said he could not accept the offer of a charitable donation, noting that this was a “well-known chemist” that had breached the Pharmacy Act.
He fined Classes Lake Pharmacy €14,000, giving the company five months to pay.