A doctor suspected of having fueled trafficking in pregabalin, a generic drug against epileptic seizures diverted as a drug, in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) and its surroundings, was examined and imprisoned, the prosecution announced on Friday.
The misuse of this medication, also prescribed to treat generalized anxiety disorders and neuropathic pain, has been noted for several years in France.
In November, the French customs service warned of the increase in seizures of pregabalin, nicknamed "poor man's drug", in France due to its low cost.
In the case raised by the Toulouse justice system, the investigation began with the discovery of a prescription for a man, arrested in January 2023, illegally selling pregabalin.
The Toulouse narcotics brigade then discovered that the practitioner who signed the prescription, aged 64, was in 2022 “the first prescriber of pregabalin” in the department, in front of the city's two public hospitals combined.
He was also “the first prescriber of Subutex” – a substitute for heroin – in all of Haute-Garonne.
A complaint from Social Security last November
The dozens of prescriptions, which “very much exceeded the maximum daily dosage”, “thus seemed to fuel trafficking in the Toulouse area”, underlined the prosecution, which added that “many pharmacies also complained about the conditions of delivery of these medication by this doctor.
According to Actu.fr, the Haute-Garonne Primary Health Insurance Fund filed a complaint against the general practitioner in November 2023.
The doctor was indicted for “aiding the misuse or abuse of medication”, “fraud to the detriment of an organization responsible for a public service mission”, in this case health insurance, whose harm has not yet been established, and “illicit transfer or offer of psychotropic substance”.
He was taken into custody.
In a separate case, the Toulouse public prosecutor's office reported the arrest on Tuesday of a "30-year-old individual, unknown to the courts", who was importing tablets from India.
He was arrested when receiving the package which contained more than 36,000 pregabalin tablets but also other drugs banned in France.
He could have made nearly 75,000 euros from the resale of these pills.
The investigation established that he had received 70 packages between 2022 and January 2024, the prosecution further specified.
During their searches, investigators also discovered approximately 10,000 Viagra pills.
The man explained that they were intended for his personal consumption, according to La Dépêche.