In recent years, the Virginia Board of Pharmacy has handed out significant fines to several drugstores for various violations. One such fine was $75,000 imposed on a Salem CVS drugstore in 2021. This fine was one of the five largest financial penalties given by the agency in the past five years and was based on a dozen violations found at the Salem drugs outlet, including failure to safeguard drug supplies, being understaffed, and making prescription errors. While CVS neither admitted nor denied the findings, they stated that all issues had been addressed and rectified.
In 2022, the board issued its largest fine in recent years of $346,250 against a Virginia Beach CVS. This penalty was due to numerous medication-dispensing errors committed by the store due to severe understaffing. The store has since appealed this penalty to court, according to board spokeswoman Kelly Smith. Other significant fines in recent years include $100,000 against Pharmacy Services America in Rocky Mount in 2021, $100,000 against the pharmacy at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in 2021, and $50,000 against Landsdowne Pharmacy in Loudoun County in 2020. These fines serve as a reminder of the importance of proper medication handling and staffing levels in pharmacies across Virginia.