Statutory Committee

Striking-off ordered for pharmacist who stole drugs

A pharmacist who stole Controlled Drugs for his own consumption is to be removed from the Register of Pharmaceutical Chemists on the order of the Statutory Committee.

On 22 April, the committee inquired into the case of Krikor Astic Melemetdjian (registration number 64863), who now lives in Canada. Information had been received that on 3 June 2004, at Dolgellau Magistrates Court, he had pleaded guilty and been convicted of, 1 January 2003 and 23 January 2004, stealing quantities of methadone mixture, Durogesic patches, Dexedrine tablets, Ritalin tablets and dihydrocodeine tablets to the value of £1,357 and having in his possession a quantity of a Class A Controlled Drug, methadone. He had been given a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay prosecution costs of £55.

The committee had also received a complaint from the Council of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society alleging that misconduct such as to render him unfit to be on the Register may have been demonstrated individually or cumulatively by the conviction, by a failure to comply with the record keeping requirements of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 and by his consumption while on duty of CDs that did not belong to him and had not been prescribed for him, both in 2003–04 and in about 1978–1980.

The committee heard that between about March 2001 and January 2004, Mr Melemetdjian had worked as pharmacist in charge of a branch of L. Rowland & Co (Retail) Ltd in Harlech, Gwynedd. On 23 January 2004, during the course of a routine inspection by the local police chemist inspection officer, he admitted to that he had made no entries in the CD register since November 2003.

In a search of his home on 10 February 2004, the police found 12 used Durogesic 75 patches, 73 used Durogesic 50 patches, 37 used Durogesic 25 patches, 22 empty boxes that had held Dexedrine 5mg tablet, one empty box and one empty strip that had held dihydrocodeine 30mg tablets, and one empty box and three empty strips that had held Ritalin 10mg tablets.

Between 30 January and 22 March 2004 a police officer and the Rowlands area manager carried out a joint audit of CDs purchased and supplied by the pharmacy and identified a number of discrepancies and irregularities. These included 7,745ml of methadone mixture that could not be accounted for. A number of invoices for methadone mixture obtained by the pharmacy had not been entered in the register. The value of the drugs that had been in the packages found in Mr Melemetdjian’s home and the value of the unaccounted-for methadone mixture totalled the £1,357 in respect of which he was convicted.

On 10 February and 31 March 2004, during interviews by the police, Mr Melemetdjian admitted or explained under caution that:

· From about 1978 to 1980, when he had owned his own pharmacy, he had become addicted to Palfium, after initially taking tablets returned by a patient

· Between about January 2003 and 23 January 2004 he had at various times taken methadone mixture, Dexedrine, Durogesic patches and Ritalin — either pharmacy stock or patient-returned medicines

· From mid-November 2003 to 23 January 2004 he had consumed methadone mixture on a more or less daily basis while working in the pharmacy, in quantities of about 30ml two or three times per day and on one occasion had taken 150ml of methadone mixture home for his own use

· He had taken Dexedrine to counteract the soporific effects of the methadone mixture

· He had taken home 23 boxes of 28 Dexedrine for his own use

· He had ordered and taken for his own consumption one box of Ritalin “out of curiosity”

· Between about January 2003 and 23 January 2004 he had failed to comply with the record keeping requirements of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.

The committee noted that in a written submission Mr Melemetdjian had stated that, following treatment at Birdsgrove House, he had been “substance free” for 15 months.

Giving the committee’s determination, the chairman, Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, QC, said that Mr Melemetdjian had not been present at the hearing, but the committee was satisfied that the notice of the inquiry had been properly served on him, that he was aware of the proceedings and that he was not intending to appear. In those circumstances, the committee had been satisfied that it could proceed with the inquiry in his absence.

The committee found the conviction and allegations proved, said the chairman, although it did not place great emphasis on the part of the complaint relating to the consumption of Palfium, it having occurred something like 25 years ago. With regard to a complaint about Mr Melemetdjian taking and consuming CDs while on duty, the chairman said: “We have to restrict that to ensure that there is not any duplication or double counting. We exclude from that the possession of methadone, which was part of the first conviction. However, the point is well taken by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society that he was not only in possession of methadone, which he should not have had, but he consumed it while on duty.”

The chairman continued: “In all the circumstances, we would conclude that he has been guilty of such misconduct as to render him unfit to be on the Register. We have considered carefully the written submission by him which was put before us. It principally relates to his failure to keep up the CD Register, but in any event it is not a compelling story. …

“Even if we were to accept that following on treatment at Birdsgrove House he has been substance free for 15 months, it is still an unfortunate litany of failure on his part over an extended period. We understand that he is now living in Canada. He is aged 66 and apparently is not practising.

“In our view, against the background of what has been admitted to before us, we would now want to direct the removal of his name from the Register of Pharmaceutical Chemists. There seems to us to be no option to taking this course, and any lesser sanction would not be appropriate in the circumstances.”

The chairman added that those responsible for the profession in Canada should be advised of the committee’s decision, particularly because there was some indications from an interview that the abuse of Controlled Drugs may have occurred in Canada as well as Britain.

For the Society, Geoff Hudson (Penningtons, solicitors), said that the Canadian authorities had already been advised of the conviction and advised that the inquiry was taking place, and would be advised of the outcome.

Mr Melemetdjian had three months in which to appeal.