Dr Mualla Akinci, Sydney pharmacist unlawfully imported, sold injectable Phosphatidylcholine
A Sydney pharmacist knowingly used the name of dead doctors to fill prescriptions to unlawfully import and dispense restricted drugs to patients, a tribunal has found. Here is how she did it.
Inner West
Don't miss out on the headlines from Inner West. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A Sydney Pharmacist has been found guilty of professional misconduct by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal after using dead doctor's names to unlawfully dispense prohibited substance to patients over two years.
Between January 2018 and December 2020 an “experienced Pharmacist” and Doctor of Philosophy, Mualla Kadriye Akinci, had been unlawfully obtaining prescriptions of injectable Phosphatidylcholine by falsifying details, claiming they were for personal use but instead would sell to her clients at a “considerable cost”.
Working out of Gold Cross Pharmacy, Redfern, Dr Akinci attempted to import 10 boxes of the injectable in March 2019 via Ukraine, which she obtained two prescriptions for from a medical practitioner known in these proceedings as Person N, insinuating that the medicine was for personal use.
However, on July 18, 2019, Australian Border Force seized her shipment, to which she fraudulently provided a prescription to the TGA to secure the release of the Phosphatidylcholine.
According to NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal findings, the Health Care Complaints Commission said she did not have an exemption or authority to import the goods lawfully and that the attempted importation was not for personal use but for the purposes of retail supply, for which she admitted “serious misconduct”.
“The Respondent has admitted her fraudulent conduct in seeking to obtain the release of this medicine,” the findings read.
“The Respondent also admitted that her conduct was improper, and it was wrong to provide prescriptions in her name so that the TGA would release the medicine”.
While the shipment was seized, documents claim that Dr Akinci received 10 vials of Phosphatidylcholine towards the end of 2018 in a separate order, which had been released by ABF as it was regarded as complementary medicine, to which she sold to a client known as “patient J”.
However, according to the court proceddings, in order to obtain the product Dr Akinci forged and recreated prescriptions using dead Doctors details.
“(Dr Akinci) must have been able to obtain the prescriber’s prescription forms, or recreated them, and then fraudulently provided all relevant details including a signature,” documents read.
“The Doctor listed as Dr Lucas died on 24 September 2003, the Doctor listed in respect of Patient G, namely Dr Bruce Reading died on 16 February 2015, the Doctor listed in respect of Patient I, namely Dr Schiller died on 12 August 2011.”
However, due to the complex nature of forging four prescriptions the Health Care Commision believe that the Respondent never had these prescriptions, but simply utilised from her own records as a doctor and prescriber number chosen for the purposes of creating the record of “dispensing”.
Ultimately, Dr Akinci was found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct and guilty of professional misconduct and is awaiting stage two of her hearing.
Dr Akinci was not charged with any criminal wrongdoing.
‘Game-changing’: Revamps coming to a western Sydney pub near you
Hotels, bowling alleys, rooftop bars, cocktail lounges and reimagined menus. A hospitality group is splashing more than $50m to upgrade its venues across Sydney. Here’s what’s in store.
‘Least we can do’: 500 inner city homes for frontline workers
The state government’s first build-to-rent development that gives essential workers subsidised rental homes has been revealed for inner Sydney. See the details here.