Reports: Court temporarily lifts Cardinal Health distribution ban

NEW YORK — Cardinal Health can continue distributing controlled medications from a distribution center in Florida, according to published reports.



On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit put a stay on the Drug Enforcement Administration's order that had blocked Cardinal from shipping controlled substances from the Lakeland, Fla., center. The stay will last until the middle of the month, when Cardinal has to file its emergency motion, and the DEA has to file its response, according to the reports.



The order issued Friday follows a decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia last Wednesday that turned down Cardinal's request for an injunction against the DEA's Feb. 3 suspension of the Lakeland facility's registration to distribute controlled substances.



The DEA alleges that four of the 2,500 retail pharmacies the distribution center serves had illegally dispensed prescriptions for controlled substances and that Cardinal had failed to ensure that the drugs were not diverted, though Cardinal has said the allegations are wrong.

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