NJ pharmacy board suspends Woodbury pharmacist’s license

State alleges unsanitary conditions, medication mistakes, and actions that contributed to serious patient harm

The state pharmacy board has suspended the license of a Gloucester County pharmacist who allegedly kept a filthy store, gave customers the wrong drug dosages, and refused to transfer prescriptions when people complained about the service.

Nittal K. Lodha, owner and operator of Woodbury Family Pharmacy in Woodbury, presented such a “clear and imminent danger to public health, safety, and welfare” that the state sought to shutter her business and yank her license in early June, state Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said in a news release.

A board subcommittee agreed, granting a temporary suspension after a June 5 hearing.

“Patients should be able to trust that their pharmacist won’t endanger their health or make it harder for them to access lifesaving medications,” Davenport said in a statement. “So, when a licensed pharmacist harms patients by allegedly disregarding basic safety standards and interfering with their right to obtain needed treatment from the pharmacy of their choosing, we will take action to protect the public.”

The board’s actions stem from a May complaint filed by the Attorney General’s Office that claimed Lodha flatly denied patients’ requests to stop filling their prescriptions and send them elsewhere, Davenport said.

Instead, Lodha allegedly “continued to fill the prescriptions herself with medications kept in unsanitary conditions; and to provide patients with the wrong dosages or dispense medications in packages with broken safety seals or missing pills.”

Her actions had real consequences. By disrupting her patients’ ability to get crucial medications, she allegedly worsened their medical conditions, caused emotional distress, and contributed to the death of at least one person, according to the suspension order.

The unnamed man had been forced to ration his medication and take expired drugs after Lodha allegedly refused to transfer or deliver his meds.

“His doctor has suggested that the rationing may have contributed to his death,” the order said.

At her hearing, Lodha denied the accusation and said neither the patient, his wife, nor another pharmacy had ever told her to transfer the prescription elsewhere.

She also “denied essentially every claim made against her,” the order said. But the board determined that her testimony was not credible given the state’s avalanche of evidence.

Her suspension took effect June 9 and “reflects the seriousness of these allegations,” said Jeremy E. Hollander, acting director of the Division of Consumer Affairs.

The full board ratified the decision about two weeks later.

If Lodha wants to reopen the business, which is housed in a little brick building on North Broad Street, she can seek a limited reinstatement of her practice credentials pending the case’s resolution.

But she must adhere to conditions detailed in the suspension order, which include calling a pre-approved cleaning company in to do a deep clean of the facility, removing and destroying the drugs still stored there, employing a monitor to watch operations, and hiring a new pharmacist to run the place.

Separately, to reinstate her pharmacist’s license, she must pass several pharmacy programs and exams and finish a 400-hour internship under a board-approved preceptor.

The board will make its final decision on her case after an Office of Administrative Law hearing.