The drug, Subsys, is made expressly for cancer patients whose pain is not controlled by other opioids.
TRENTON -- A doctor has been suspended for improperly prescribing a highly addictive painkiller and giving it to three patients, including a 32-year-old recovering addict who died in March, the state Attorney General's Office announced Monday.
Vivienne Matalon, who operates from offices in Camden and Cherry Hill, allegedly gave three patients a drug expressly made for cancer patients with uncontrollable pain, according to the announcement.
In order for Matalon to administer the drug, Subsys -- derived from opioid fentanyl -- she had to sign documents acknowledging this highly-addictive drug was for cancer patients only.
Yet Matalon prescribed it to a 32-year-old woman she was treating for chronic pain, diabetes and fibromyalgia, who also had a history of substance abuse. The doctor is accused of inviting a sales representative to her office to meet with the the patient, a woman with a disability, and her father, to explain the benefits of the drug.
"Given that opioid overdoses are killing more people in New Jersey than car crashes, it is appalling that a doctor would willfully disregard the federal restrictions placed on this extremely potent drug, and abdicate her professional obligation to keep her patients safe," Attorney General Christopher Porrino said. "Dr. Matalon's actions demonstrate a level of professional misconduct that requires immediate intervention to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public."
Svetlana Ros, Matalon's attorney, did not return a call and email seeking comment.
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The state Board of Medical Examiners, the licensing and disciplinary body for physicians, moved to suspend Matalon's license on Thursday, accusing her of "gross negligence that endangered the life, health, safety, and welfare of the three patients; and indiscriminate prescribing of controlled dangerous substances," according to the announcement.
Matalon's also improperly prescribed Subsys to a 31-year-old woman with Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis, and a 61-year-old woman who was in remission from cancer for more than a decade but was suffering from an unrelated illness, Porrino's announcement said. The older woman suffered side effects including dizziness and vomiting and eventually stopped using the drug.
Porrino also released a "consumer alert" asking people who do not have cancer but have been prescribed Subsys "off label" to contact the state Division of Consumer Affairs at 1 (800) 242-5846.
Last week, state investigators inspected patient records at six doctors' offices and subpoenaed patient records from 10 others, looking for abuse of the drug. Subsys is for patients who are on a daily course of opioids but still experience pain. Patients who are not already taking opioids are at risk of reparatory failure or death, according to the announcement.
"We're warning everyone -- doctors and patients alike -- that Subsys is a fast-acting, extremely powerful drug approved only for a singular narrow purpose: to relieve breakthrough cancer pain," Porrino said. "Given this risk, I have instructed the Division of Consumer Affairs to investigate the potential misuse of this highly addictive medication by other providers."
Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.