A Chicago hospital strengthened its product disposal rules in 2021 after its pharmacy director at the time sold empty COVID-19 vaccine vials on Craigslist, CBS News reported Sept. 20.
On April 11, 2021, CBS investigators met a man who advertised two empty COVID-19 vaccine vials, one Moderna and one Pfizer, for $35 on Craigslist. The now-deleted post said the products were "empty and sterilized- there is no medicine inside" and said potential buyers could "own a piece of history today."
The seller was John (Jia) Li, the pharmacy director at Thorek Memorial Hospital at the time, according to the news outlet. He self-reported selling the vials to Illinois investigators, and on April 23, the hospital suspended Mr. Li. His registered pharmacist license is active and he has not been disciplined by the state's pharmacy board, records show.
Empty vials should be disposed of because they could be filled with another substance and illegally resold as a fake vaccine. Investigators concluded no patients were harmed from this event.
In late April, the hospital "created an inventory log for vials received and distributed, that needs to be signed by a pharmacy member and a nursing supervisor," according to documents obtained by CBS News. "The disposal process will also require a nursing and pharmacy signature verifying the destruction of the vial, prior to disposal."
Aaron Sinner is the current chief pharmacy officer at the hospital, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Becker's has reached out to Thorek Memorial Hospital and will update the story if more information becomes available.