ARLINGTON, Va. — More than a month after a woman claimed her dog died because of a prescription error, she has retained a lawyer with plans to file a lawsuit against CVS Pharmacy.
Miroslava Mircheva told WUSA9 that her attorney has contacted CVS this week. She said one of her goals behind the pending lawsuit is to help change protocols to prevent another death.
Mircheva's vet sent a prescription to a CVS in Shirlington last month to help treat her 10-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel Daisy’s arrythmia. Mircheva said she picked up the medication three days later.
Daisy. Mircheva's dog, began to experience lethargy, heavy breathing, and extreme thirst, Mircheva said. She assumed the dosage prescribed was wrong, but upon sending the photo of the drug’s bottle to the vet, she learned the pharmacy dispensed the wrong medication.
The prescription was for amiodarone, but the bottle said amlodipine, a drug used to treat blood pressure.
About a week later, Daisy died of kidney and cardiac failures, according to Mircheva.
“The vet told me this medication didn't reach the peak of toxicity when she passed away,” Mircheva said. “I moved the world to try to save her, but she didn't die because of an illness but because of preventable mistakes. I did not know prescription errors happened and I fully entrusted the pharmacy to fulfill the right medication.”
CVS Pharmacy acknowledged what happened and said it apologized to Mircheva for receiving the wrong medication.
“We're looking into how this happened to help prevent a similar error in the future," a CVS Pharmacy spokesperson said in a statement. "The health and well-being of all our patients is our number one priority, and we have comprehensive policies and procedures in place to support prescription accuracy. Prescription errors are a rare occurrence, but if one does happen, we use what we learn from it to continuously improve quality and patient safety.”
Mircheva still questions how this could’ve happened. While she seeks monetary compensation for Daisy’s death, she also wants policy changes.
Dispensing incorrect medication is among the top three reasons behind drug errors, according to the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP).
Medication errors affecting pets are pretty rare but it’s more common in humans. It harms at least 1.5 million people every year with medical costs treating drug-related injuries reaching $3.5 billion per year, according to the AMCP.
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