By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1
A Glasgow pharmaceutical distributor that’s taken the U.S. Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Agency to federal court is asking for a preliminary injunction against its Immediate Suspension Order.
The agency issued the Immediate Suspension Order against Glasgow-based Richie Pharmacal on Feb. 10, citing an imminent danger to the public, according to prior Glasgow News 1 reporting. An Immediate Suspension Order prohibits Richie from buying, handling, or distributing controlled substances.
On March 31, the distributor filed a civil lawsuit claiming that the order was “arbitrary and capricious” and that Richie’s due process right was violated due to a lack of a “prompt post-suspension hearing.” In an April 1 motion, Richie requested a preliminary injunction that dissolves the Immediate Suspension Order, returns its certificate of registration and controlled substance inventory, and prevents the enforcement of the order.
“Richie will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of a preliminary injunction,” the motion stated.
An expeditious hearing on this motion is also requested because the order “continues to harm Richie on a daily basis,” according to the motion, filed in the D.C. District Court.
A hearing on this motion is scheduled for April 14 “or [at] some other expedient date otherwise convenient for the court,” according to the civil court case file.
Key Facts
• Glasgow-based Richie Pharmacal is challenging a federal Immediate Suspension Order
• The DEA order, issued Feb. 10, bars the company from handling controlled substances
• Richie filed a civil lawsuit March 31 in D.C. District Court
• The company calls the order arbitrary, capricious and a due process violation
• An April 1 motion seeks a preliminary injunction to dissolve the order
• A hearing on the motion is set for April 14, according to court records
