CVS Pharmacy, Inc. recently settled a lawsuit filed by New Jersey Acting Attorney General John Hoffman after two of its stores in the state allegedly sold medicine and infant formula left to sit in the heat for days when their air conditioners broke.
The company will pay more than $500,000 in fines as part of the settlement. It also will change the temperature monitoring methods in its stores.
No one was sickened or injured in the two incidents. The medicines were sold in June and July 2012 at CVS pharmacies in Scotch Plains and Clark, New Jersey.
Medications can lose effectiveness from prolonged heat. Pharmacies are required to monitor inside temperatures and ensure medication is stored properly at all times, which CVS allegedly did not do.
Hoffman said it was a good opportunity to enforce pharmacy regulations.
“We have taken an incident in which the public was exposed to potential harm and turned it into an opportunity to create model practices for pharmacies across New Jersey,” Hoffman said. “Under this settlement, CVS will keep a close eye on the temperatures at its New Jersey pharmacies and will act immediately to remove affected medications before they are sold to the public.”