WASHINGTON (AP) -- Pharmacy chain Rite Aid and subsidiaries in eight states will pay $5 million in penalties for violating rules designed to control drugs prone to abuse.
Violations were found at Rite Aid pharmacies in California, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
The Justice Department says the nationwide drugstore operator also has agreed to a new compliance plan with the Drug Enforcement Administration and tighter monitoring of the over-the-counter ingredients used to make methamphetamines.
Officials said a DEA investigation found many instances where Rite Aid workers knowingly filled prescriptions for controlled substances when it knew those prescriptions were not issued for a legitimate medical reason.