‘Reckless’ pharmacist banned after netting $42,000 in PBS fertility drug fraud
The WA pharmacy owner submitted claims for IVF drugs for patients who were already pregnant or who had stopped treatment.
A “reckless” pharmacist has been banned for five years, nearly a decade after he defrauded the PBS of $42,000 by submitting fake claims for fertility drugs.
David Brewster, now aged 66, already had a long history of previous dealings with regulators over his professional conduct, including disciplinary action for illegally importing S4 medications and supplying anabolic steroids.
In the latest case, which resulted in him spending seven months behind bars, the owner of Hollywood Pharmacy in Nedlands submitted PBS claims for 83 prescriptions of Puregon, Pregnyl and Gonal-F pens for 18 patients.
The claims, totaling $42,358, included hard copies of the original prescriptions and repeats, written by fertility specialists.
