CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Health and Human Resources secured a court order Friday to shut down an alleged pain clinic in Raleigh County.
According to the order, Dr. Yasar Aksoy has to stop operating his practice as a pain clinic and cannot prescribe any Schedule II or III narcotics. Those drugs include oxycodone, fentanyl and opioid painkillers that have a high potential of dependence.
Aksoy’s office is at the Beckley Plaza Mall in Beckley.
The Attorney General’s Office filed a petition on March 15 alleging Askoy was using the practice as a clinic and had prescribed narcotics to more than 50 percent of his patients. The petition also alleged Askoy failed to comply with letters from the Department of Heath and Human Services and its Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification demanding the operation’s end.
“This is a major victory in the fight to reduce opioid use,” Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said in a statement. “This court order exemplifies our office’s vigorous effort to ensure everyone in the pharmaceutical supply chain adheres to the law.”
Pain clinics must meet educational requirements and strict regulations under the state’s Chronic Pain Licensure Act, according to the Attorney General’s Office statement.