Pharmacist who failed to disclose addiction, couldn’t account for ‘staggering’ amount of drugs fined $100K by disciplinary panel

A Manitoba pharmacist has been hit with $100,000 in fines and costs after a disciplinary panel found he dispensed a “staggering” amount of drugs that could not be accounted for.

Glen Pauch, who worked at a Portage la Prairie pharmacy, was fined the maximum $25,000 by the College of Pharmacists of Manitoba and ordered to pay another $75,000 toward the cost of the investigation and disciplinary proceedings.

A 28-page disciplinary decision, dated June 9, found more than 39,000 doses went unaccounted for while Pauch was consuming drugs and improperly dispensing controlled substances — including opioids oxycodone and hydromorphone, and Concerta, a stimulant prescribed for ADHD — to 11 patients.

“Another extremely troubling incident where narcotic or other medications handled by Mr. Pauch went missing without explanation.”

The college found Pauch failed to properly document the drugs he dispensed and did not maintain required records for controlled substances returned to the pharmacy or received from suppliers.

The record-keeping failures left thousands of doses of highly controlled substances without proper oversight, including 2,174 oxycodone tablets and 480 doses of lorazepam — used to treat anxiety disorders — dispensed to a single patient.

In one of the most serious instances, Pauch admitted placing three orders totalling 22,000 milligrams of hydromorphone powder that were never entered into the pharmacy’s records or inventory system.

Another 3,000 milligrams was ordered and received from a separate supplier during the same period. Of the 25,000 milligrams received, 19,223 remained unaccounted for after Pauch left the pharmacy in October 2021.

“This is another extremely troubling incident where narcotic or other medications handled by Mr. Pauch went missing without explanation,” the report said. “The amount of hydromorphone unaccounted for in this case is staggering.”

The disciplinary report also details concerns raised by pharmacy staff about Pauch’s behaviour at work.

Staff reported Pauch would spend as long as 20 minutes in the bathroom while he was the only pharmacist on duty, leaving patients waiting. One employee told investigators they were “confident” Pauch was injecting drugs in the bathroom and said he sometimes appeared dishevelled and impaired while working.

A pharmacy assistant reported finding a syringe cap in the bathroom after Pauch had been inside and suspected he was injecting drugs between his toes after seeing him return to the dispensary barefoot and appearing impaired.

The assistant also told investigators patients frequently complained about being shorted narcotics and that Pauch would handle those complaints himself.

Pauch failed to disclose his addiction and drug use to the college. He pleaded guilty to professional misconduct at a hearing in March.

He acknowledged taking controlled drugs that had not been prescribed to him while on the job. He also admitted he did not notify the college about an opioid-use disorder or a mental health condition, despite their potential to impair his ability to safely work as a pharmacist.

The committee took issue with how long it took Pauch to reveal those concerns, finding he repeatedly failed to raise them during the investigation and only disclosed his substance-use problems in July of last year.

“The amount of hydromorphone unaccounted for in this case is staggering.”

Pauch was first registered as a pharmacist in 2009 and began his career in Sioux Lookout, Ont., before moving to a Rexall pharmacy in Altona in 2011.

The misconduct occurred between June 2020 and October 2021 while he was working at a Pharmasave in Portage la Prairie.

Pharmasave Portage owner Caitlin Giercke was not immediately available for comment on Tuesday.

Pauch surrendered his licence on Oct. 27, 2021. He later worked at PortageRx under conditions and a monitoring program that required him, among other things, to abstain from controlled substances unless approved in advance by the college and submit to 12 randomized drug and alcohol screenings annually.

He was suspended from practice on an interim basis on Nov. 23, 2023. That suspension ended May 20.

Pauch will now face restrictions on his licence for five years from the date he returns to practice, including prohibitions on working as a pharmacy manager or preceptor.

Before returning, he must complete an ethics course and a 360-hour internship. Once the internship is complete, he will be limited to working no more than 35 hours per week.

Attempts to reach Pauch through his lawyer and social media were unsuccessful.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca