Pursuant to section 36(1) of the Health Professions Act, the Inquiry Committee of the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia (the “College”) reached a consent agreement with Tyler Joshua Drapeau (the “Registrant”) to suspend his registration as a pharmacist for a period of six months, from April 20, 2017 to October 20, 2017.
After an investigation, the Registrant admitted to practicing outside of his scope by prescribing and dispensing multiple medications to himself and others without a valid prescription. The Registrant prescribed medication to himself over 30 times without any prescription from a physician and inappropriately dispensed medications to himself on various other occasions. In relation to prescribing medications to others, the Registrant prescribed and dispensed azithromycin 26 times without a valid prescription, atavaquone proguanil two times without a valid prescription and doxycycline without a valid prescription. The Registrant listed the wrong prescriber on a prescription and conducted improper adaptations and emergency refills, each not in compliance with the Professional Practice Policies.
The Inquiry Committee determined that the Registrant breached the Code of Ethics – Detailed, Standard 1(b) which states that registrants practice only within the scope of their education, training and competence, Further, the Code of Ethics – Conflict of Interests Standards, Standard 2(e) very narrowly defines that registrants may only dispense medications to themselves in an emergency situation or when another registrant is not readily available.
The Inquiry Committee determined that the Registrant acted outside of scope, that he was not trained to prescribe any of the medications at issue, and that pharmacists in British Columbia do not have authority under legislation or the Code of Ethics to prescribe to themselves.
The Inquiry Committee determined that the Registrant engaged in professional misconduct and unethical conduct in relation to the unauthorized prescribing and dispensing practices, taking into account the gravity of the contraventions listed above and that the volume of practice deficiencies constituted a serious matter.
Prior to reinstatement, the Registrant must:
- Appear before a panel of the Inquiry Committee for a verbal reprimand;
- Successfully complete and pass the College Jurisprudence Exam;
- Submit a fine of $5,000;
- Thoroughly review the relevant legislation and sign a declaration acknowledging his understanding and rigid compliance with those legislative requirements.
The Registrant may not act as a pharmacy manager for a period of three years following reinstatement.
A letter of reprimand will be permanently placed on the College register and the College may disclose its contents in response to inquiries regarding the status of the Registrant’s registration. The Inquiry Committee considers this Agreement necessary to protect the public.