She Filled 745K Prescriptions, May Not Have Been Pharmacist

The woman who filled more than 745,000 prescriptions at Walgreens locations in California over the last decade might not actually have been a pharmacist. The startling accusation comes from the State Board of Pharmacy, which alleges that the chain allowed Kim Thien Le to dispense drugs from 2006 to 2017 despite her lack of a pharmacist's license, reports the San Jose Mercury News. More than 100,000 of those prescriptions were for controlled substances. Le no longer works for the chain, but she served as either pharmacist or pharmacy manager at stores in Fremont, Pleasanton, and San Jose, per the San Francisco Chronicle.

"Walgreens did not have or keep any proof of (Le's) enrollment in or graduation from an accredited pharmacy school, nor did Walgreens have or keep copies of any of (Le's) purported licenses," says the complaint by state investigators. The license number on file with Walgreens actually belonged to another pharmacist, one who had a similar name but did not work for the chain, according to the complaint. The allegations will be laid out at an upcoming hearing. The company says it has reviewed the credentials of all its pharmacists since the allegations came to light. ("Good Catholic" pharmacist refuses to fill prescription.)