The company that owns a drug store in North Port is shelling out three-quarters of a million dollars to settle a claim that it violated a federal health-care law. Benzer Pharmacy Holding, parent company of Lemon Bay Pharmacy North, was accused of submitting claims to federal health care programs for prescription drugs that were never dispensed. Allegedly, Benzer Pharmacy charged Medicare and Medicaid for brand-name medications, which actually giving patients the generic versions. An attorney for the company says it is admitting no wrongdoing and settled the claim to avoid protracted litigation. The FBI, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office and the North Port Police Department were among the agencies involved in the investigation.
