A Maple Ridge pharmacist has been suspended for three years and fined $30,000 over his handling of controlled drugs.
The College of Pharmacists of BC conducted an inspection at Lougheed Pharmacy, which was managed by Sahil Sharma, almost two years ago, in May 2024. An investigation by the college followed.
A college inquiry committee and Sharma agreed to resolve all issues by a consent agreement, which came into effect last month. The college also issued a public notification on its bcpharmacists.org website.
Sharma agreed that when inspectors were at his pharmacy, and also inspected a delivery vehicle, they found unsecured narcotic and controlled drugs in various areas of the premises and vehicle.
He also admitted they found:
• Incomplete narcotic inventory records.
• Narcotic inventory not counted and verified as required.
• Significant variances in the narcotic drug inventory that were not addressed or reported.
• Incomplete and inconsistent prescription reocrds for Opioid Agonist Therapy (OAT) services.
Sharma admitted to storing drugs, including narcotics, overnight at his home, and outside of the pharmacy.
“The committee considered that the former registrant’s (Sharma’s) departures from appropriate pharmacy practice directly put patients at real risk of harm,” said the college in its public notification about the case.
It said his “poor judgment” created a risk of theft and diversion of narcotics, and that he prioritized personal convenience over public safety.
It also considered this “departures from legislative requirements and from the college’s ethical and practice standards to be extremely serious.”
He has consented to the three year suspension from the college, and it could be extended.
After that suspension, he will not act as a pharmacy manager or owner for five years, and will not supervise pharmacy students. For one year following the three-year suspension, he will practise under the supervision of another pharmacist.
After his three-year suspension, he will also have limits and conditions on handling narcotics and controlled substances for two years.
He also received a letter of reprimand, and will take an ethics course.
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