Maple Ridge pharmacist suspended by college in 'extraordinary action' to protect public

A prescription bottle and pills are seen in this file photo. (Shutterstock.com)

A Maple Ridge pharmacist and the store he runs are the subject of "extraordinary actions" by the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia that will take effect Friday.

On that date, Sahil Sharma's pharmacist registration will be suspended pending a college investigation, and Lougheed Pharmacy will be subject to special conditions on its licence.

An extraordinary action is one the college takes based on allegations, before they have been tested in the college's discipline process.

In Sharma's case, the college "received concerns from a member of the public" about him and the pharmacy, where he is the manager and "indirect owner," according to a public notification posted on the college's website Wednesday.

"In May 2024, college inspectors performed an onsite inspection of the pharmacy and identified what appeared to be multiple breaches of provincial legislation and college practice standards," the notification reads.

According to the college, the allegations against Sharma and Lougheed Pharmacy include:

• inadequate security and storage of narcotic inventory;
• inadequate protection of personal information;
• inadequate management of narcotic inventory;
• inadequate prescription labelling;
• inadequate final checks;
• inadequate record keeping;
• and inadequate security measures.

The public notification also notes that Sharma was investigated for similar concerns at a different pharmacy back in 2019.

As a result of that investigation, the pharmacist "had declared his remediation of the concerns identified" and had "given undertakings" to a panel of the college's inquiry committee that he would abide by the rules in the future.

In the current case, a panel determined an extraordinary action was necessary, in part, because of Sharma's past conduct.

"It appeared to the panel that the registrant did not comply with these legislated requirements, and instead consciously placed his own interests ahead of diligently adhering to requirements and protecting his patients from potential harm," the public notification reads.

"Due to the registrant’s questionable judgment over an extended period of time and his pattern of repeated non-compliance with legislated requirements, the panel was not satisfied that the registrant would comply with any limits or conditions that would satisfactorily protect the public. Therefore, having weighed the available options and circumstances of the case, and having considered the impact on the registrant, the panel concluded that protection of the public can only be achieved through an interim suspension of the registrant’s registration."

In addition to suspending Sharma's registration, the college imposed three new conditions on Lougheed Pharmacy's licence through its extraordinary action.

Beginning Friday, the pharmacy cannot operate with Sharma as its manager, it must appoint a manager who is "an individual in good standing with the college with management qualifications and experience," and it must submit its choice for manager to the college for approval.

While the college concluded its extraordinary actions were necessary to protect the public, it also stressed that its inquiry committee "has not made any findings of fact or any findings as to whether any allegations regarding the registrant (or the pharmacy) are or are not proven."