CVS Caremark has agreed to pay $875,000 to settle allegations on issues surrounding the sale of expired products in New York State. The settlement comes after New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed suit against CVS in June 2008 for "its pervasive sales of expired products."
This is the second time that CVS has agreed to settle charges of selling expired goods in New York. In 2003, after being caught selling expired medicine, CVS signed an "Assurance of Discontinuance" agreement with the state and promised to refrain from selling expired goods. The Attorney General had found expired CVS-brand children's non-aspirin pain reliever, topical anti-infection ointment and ibuprofen tablets. The company paid a $3,500 penalty.
The Attorney General's more recent investigation found 142 CVS stores - or about 60% of those visited - selling products such as baby formula, milk, eggs and over-the-counter drugs past their expiration dates. Attorney General Cuomo, quoted in an article by Dow Jones, explained the terms of the new settlement:
Have you found expired products at a CVS store near you? Use our photo uploader to send us shots of what you've found.
CVS settles N.Y. charges it sold expired products [Reuters]
NY AG: CVS To Pay $875,000 To End Expired-Products Probe [Dow Jones Newswire via Wall Street Journal]
Statement from New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo
This is the second time that CVS has agreed to settle charges of selling expired goods in New York. In 2003, after being caught selling expired medicine, CVS signed an "Assurance of Discontinuance" agreement with the state and promised to refrain from selling expired goods. The Attorney General had found expired CVS-brand children's non-aspirin pain reliever, topical anti-infection ointment and ibuprofen tablets. The company paid a $3,500 penalty.
The Attorney General's more recent investigation found 142 CVS stores - or about 60% of those visited - selling products such as baby formula, milk, eggs and over-the-counter drugs past their expiration dates. Attorney General Cuomo, quoted in an article by Dow Jones, explained the terms of the new settlement:
"CVS will pay $875,000 in penalties, costs and fees, and will commit to policies and procedures designed to prevent expired products from being stocked on its shelves, including training for CVS employees...CVS stores in New York will undergo internal compliance checks for expired products, with any store that fails a compliance check paying a $2,500 penalty...[and] the settlement also requires CVS to post notices reminding customers to check expiration dates of over-the-counter drugs, infant formula, milk, and eggs in the aisles in which these products are sold."New York is not the only state where CVS has been caught selling expired goods. In June, Cure CVS called on the Attorneys General of 39 states and the District of Columbia to investigate the company's sale of expired goods in those jurisdictions.
Have you found expired products at a CVS store near you? Use our photo uploader to send us shots of what you've found.
CVS settles N.Y. charges it sold expired products [Reuters]
NY AG: CVS To Pay $875,000 To End Expired-Products Probe [Dow Jones Newswire via Wall Street Journal]
Statement from New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo