A Bronx clinic that allegedly sold millions of dollars' worth of oxycodone to drug addicts and dealers has been busted by federal agents, according to a report by NBC.
The pain clinic, called Astramed, was reportedly throwing huge amounts of pills to "patients," regardless of whether or not their health conditions called for drugs.
Bronx neighbors and legislators have been watching the medical chain for a while - NBC's I-Team first reported on hordes of people seeking drugs who were lining up in front of Astramed in 2012.
Astramed chain owner Dr. Kevin Lowe reportedly banked on "board certified, state licensed doctors who, in exchange for cash, who were willing to write medically unnecessary prescriptions for large quantities of oxycodone," according to the indictment publicized in federal court on Wednesday
Medical officials who didn't provide drugs risked irking dealers who relied on the clinic for supplies.
One doctor who insisted he wouldn't serve any more "patients" was "threatened at gun point just outside of the Westchester Ave. Office by three masked individuals upset that [he] was not writing more medically unnecessary prescriptions," the court document read.
A 37-year-old patient who remained unidentified told I-Team that she went to the clinic to treat her very real medical issues, but was given a quick check-up and far too much oxycodone instead. She subsequently became addicted to the painkiller.
"It's a pill mill - this is the type of practice you can go to, no questions asked," the patient told NBC. "And now, I'm addicted to something that people prescribe to you."
Lowe and his colleagues reportedly sold at least 5.5 million oxycodone tablets, totaling a street price of around $550 million. Between January 2011 and January 2014, at least 4,200 people received prescriptions from the Bronx location alone.
Prosecutors stated about 31,500 prescriptions were written to patients who didn't medically need them, NBC reported.
It's unclear whether Lowe has a lawyer at this point.
