Go to navigation Go to content
Toll-Free: 888-449-2068
Phone: 713-523-0001

What is pharmacy malpractice?

 

A:

Simply put, pharmacy malpractice occurs when a pharmacist breaches his duty of care to the patient's safety and well-being by not doing something another reasonably competent pharmacist would do.

Common acts of malpractice include:

  • double checking labeling;
  • improper labeling; 
  • failing to counsel the patient about side effects or use; 
  • failing to call the doctor's office because they had a problem reading the prescription;
  • using a stronger dose than stated in the script; and
  • refusing to fill a prescription because of drug interaction or drug allergy issues, such as when a medicine is not to be used by certain people because their condition or other medications would cause harm when they take it with the new prescription.

One example of this last act of pharmacy malpractice is when a patient is known to have seizures and is prescribed Wellbutrin, an anti-depressant that will cause seizures in those people, or when a medicine like Celebrex is prescribed for a patient who is allergic to aspirin.