Alberta pharmacist suspended 30 months for stealing drugs for family and friends: ACP

Prescription drugs are seen on shelves at a pharmacy on March 11, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

An Alberta pharmacist has been suspended for more than two years for unprofessional conduct.

A hearing tribunal for the Alberta College of Pharmacy (ACP) found that Emery Ostrosky had stolen from his pharmacy employer, diverted drugs (including narcotics, amphetamines and erectile dysfunction drugs) for a friend, family members and himself in absence of valid prescriptions, forged prescriptions and created false transaction records.

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The tribunal found the acts happened while Ostrosky was practicing in Grande Prairie.

Additionally, the tribunal found Ostrosky’s actions had breached his statutory and regulatory obligations to ACP, created potential for patient harm, undermined the integrity of the profession, failed to fulfill the professional and ethical judgement expected and required of an Alberta pharmacist and warranted serious sanctions.

“Mr. Ostrosky knew, or should have known, that no prescriptions should be entered into a system if the prescriber has not authorized it – either verbally or with a written prescription,” the tribunal said in its decision.

“His justification, that [the doctor] had an agreement with him that he could prescribe at his own discretion, made no sense to the Hearing Tribunal and was, frankly, not credible.”

Ostrosky accepted responsibility for his conduct and did not substantively dispute the allegations, ACP said in a news release on Wednesday.

Ostrosky’s permit to practice had been subject to conditions since April 12, 2022 after the allegations came to light.

His permit is now suspended from Jan. 7, 2025 to July 7, 2027.

The following additional sanctions have been imposed:

• He must successfully pass the Centre for Personalized Education for Professional’s probe course at his own cost, and satisfactorily complete ACP’s ethics and jurisprudence exam before the end of his suspension.
• After his permit has been reinstated, Ostrosky must practise under direct supervision for a minimum of 500 hours, and he must advise the licensee and proprietor of any pharmacy in which he is employed of the tribunal’s decision for five years.
• He is prohibited from being an owner, proprietor or licensee of a pharmacy for 10 years.
• He must pay a $5,000 fine.
• He must pay 25 per cent of the costs of the investigation and hearing (about $18,750).

The hearings director of the ACP will provide a copy of its written decisions and the record of hearing to the minister of justice.