Dear Patients,

We here at Woody Pharmacy would like to thank you for the outpouring of support and encouragement that you have given us during this trying time. We are now able to issue a statement concerning our recent legal situation regarding the new North Carolina Board of Pharmacy regulation. The regulation is as follows:

The Board’s rule .1801(b) was amended to state that a pharmacist shall not fill a prescription if they know the order was issued without a physical examination of the patient. At the April 2003 meeting of the Pharmacy Board the members adopted a resolution that lists six exceptions to this rule. These are:

• Prescriptions issued for a patient after discussion of patient status with a treating psychologist, therapist or physician;
• Orders by a physician for flu vaccinations for groups of patients or members of the public;
• Prescriptions issued to patients by a psychiatrist;
• Orders for prophylaxis such as the ordering of antibiotics for members of a child’s family by a pediatrician from a positive strep test;
• An emergency order for medication related to pregnancy prevention;
• An order for medications to be taken by groups traveling to foreign countries.
~From http://www.ncbop.org/faq.asp January 29, 2004

We have been told to discontinue dispensing new prescriptions and refills for all patients who receive online consultations, as we know that the prescribing physician has not performed a physical examination of the patient. As you can see above, we are within legal parameters because all of the prescribing physicians who use our pharmacy services receive medical records from the patient and have established a valid doctor/patient relationship.

We have engaged the services of two of the foremost law firms in the United States and in North Carolina in the area of medical law and internet medical services. They have very meticulously put together our case against the NCBOP actions toward our operation and now expect to achieve resolution of our case within the very near future. Although this has not been resolved as quickly as we had first hoped we are satisfied that a resolution should be soon forthcoming and that a vindication in this matter will allow us to resume business without any further concern for adverse actions from the NCBOP.

We hope to continue to remain open for your business for years to come, and we will have an absolute answer to our future status once we have gone to trial, if it comes to that. We want you to know that we are fighting for you to remain our customers and continue to receive the great service and support that you have come to expect. We ask that you not contact the NCBOP with your questions and comments until we have concluded the court proceedings. Please note that we are using your positive comments about our pharmacy and the negative comments about this situation for our case, so we do continue to encourage you to send your testimonials to us here at .

We wish to thank all our customers who have supported us with your business and your encouragement during these trying times and would ask that you please be patient with us as we work through this situation.

We know that this has been a trying experience for some of our patients. We have all, including, Alvin, Bill, Tracy, Kenny, Virginia, Nija, Kristie, Lori Ann, Lori, and Marsha, been working extremely hard to try to keep up with the high email and call volumes to keep you informed and up-to-date on the happenings here at Woody Pharmacy. If you would like to send any encouraging cards, notes, or letters to us here, or just a testimonial of your experience by snail mail, our address is, 478-A Williamson Rd. Mooresville, NC 28117. We hope that if any of you are in our area that you will please come by and see us in person.

Thank you,
The Staff of Woody Pharmacy