Pharmacy board seeking injunctions against Tulsa company

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Officials with a Tulsa company said they would continue operating despite efforts by the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy to shut them down. <br><br>The pharmacy board on Thursday sought

Friday, March 28th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ Officials with a Tulsa company said they would continue operating despite efforts by the Oklahoma State Board of Pharmacy to shut them down.

The pharmacy board on Thursday sought temporary and permanent injunctions against Rx Depot in Oklahoma County District Court.

Consumers can purchase less expensive Canadian pharmaceuticals at Rx Depot.

The company was open Thursday and planned to remain open Friday, said David Peoples, an Rx Depot employee.

``We're in the process of seeing what can be done to combat this jab at all the elderly people across the nation who need this service,'' Peoples said.

Rx Depot's customers are sent by their doctors with prescriptions to the company's office, which then faxes the prescriptions to Total Care Pharmacy in Calgary, Alberta, he said.

The Canadian pharmacy fills the prescriptions at government-regulated prices, which are lower than U.S. prices, and ships the drugs back across the border by mail.

``Rx Depot engages in the retail sale of mail order prescriptions,'' the board alleges.

Since neither Rx Depot nor the Canadian pharmacy is a registered pharmacy in Oklahoma, the arrangement violates state law and must stop, the state alleges.

Carl Moore, president of the company, said Rx Depot isn't acting as a pharmacy and that its operations will be proved completely legal.

The company started in Tulsa four months ago but has 12 operations in Oklahoma, Florida, California, Arkansas, Colorado and Texas, Moore said.

The company has well more than 10,000 customers already, he said.

Last week, federal officials issued a warning the company's Lowell, Ark., operations.