Here we go again. Now Walgreen has “settled” a $35 million suit because they too have been switching prescriptions on patients. As a physician, it’s a good feeling to know that we have no control over what we are giving our patients. It is hard enough when the managed care formularies keep playing the shell game. Now we have the pharmacies doing it as well. This time a pharmacist joined with the federal government to nail these suckers. Examples given were switching from generic Zantac as well as switching from generic Prozac to something else. Walgreen, of course, denied any wrongdoing. I guess they just had $35 million lying around that they didn’t know what to do with? The pharmacist, Bernard Lisitza, received $6.4 million for his efforts which just doesn’t settle well with me either. He also received $4.3 million from a suit against Caremark. How he deserves that is beyond me but I guess this is the case of the greater good winning out. I need to start watching for those forms that come by my desk asking me to switch patients. Maybe I can join forces with Mr. Lisitza? Or at least ask him for a loan?
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