$90 million fine is levied over Internet prescriptions

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Los Angeles pharmacy and two pharmacists were fined $90 million for allegedly filling more than 3,500 illegal Internet prescriptions, officials said.

The fines against Total Remedy and Prescription Center II and pharmacists Barry Irvin and William Charles Packer mark the first time the state has used a new law that makes it illegal to fill prescriptions without a "good-faith medical examination."

According to documents obtained during the eight-month investigation, the prescriptions were issued for so-called "lifestyle" drugs, such as Viagra for male impotence and Propecia for hair loss.