Harrisburg, PA – As part of the Shapiro Administration’s efforts to protect Pennsylvania consumers, a Chester County pharmacy must pay a $1 million civil penalty and has had its license placed on probation for compounding and packaging tens of thousands of doses of injectable weight-loss drugs in uninspected facilities, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt announced today.
“The Shapiro Administration and the Department of State are dedicated to protecting the health and safety of the public through its required licensing of professionals and facilities – and through discipline of licensees when needed,” Schmidt said. “This $1 million penalty sends the message that licensees who knowingly fail to follow the law will face consequences.”
Boothwyn Pharmacy, which operates in two buildings on Gale Lane in Kennett Square, began compounding popular injectable weight-loss drugs, known as GLP-1 medications, in early September 2024. Compounding is a practice in which a licensed pharmacist combines, mixes, or alters ingredients of a drug to create a medication tailored to the needs of patients.
A Department of State investigation found the pharmacy’s staff was compounding GLP-1 medications at least five days per week, producing over a thousand doses each day, in uninspected rooms within Boothwyn’s main building.
The medications were then taken to Boothwyn’s second building for inspection, verification, and packaging. Boothwyn was also filling, verifying, and labeling GLP-1 companion drugs in that second building, which had never been inspected or approved for such use by the State Board of Pharmacy.
The Department of State conducted four inspections of Boothwyn Pharmacy between November 2024 and March 2025. In that time, Boothwyn staff never informed inspectors that compounding was taking place or that the unlicensed building was operating as a drug processing facility.
“With millions of Americans using GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, it is a top priority of the Shapiro Administration to protect the health and safety of Pennsylvanians by making sure these medications are produced in a safe manner,” Schmidt said.
“Department staff work diligently every day to ensure pharmacies across the Commonwealth comply with licensure requirements,” Schmidt added, “and I congratulate our team members who have held this pharmacy accountable for its unlawful actions.”
In a consent agreement with the Department, Boothwyn admitted to violating the Pharmacy Act and State Board of Pharmacy regulations. Before the Pharmacy Board signed the consent agreement, Boothwyn placed $500,000 of the civil penalty in escrow with the Department. Boothwyn can apply to have its license removed from probationary status but must comply with a host of agreed-upon requirements first, including:
- Pay the remainder of the $1 million civil penalty within a year,
- Obtain proper inspection approvals from the State Board of Pharmacy for all its facilities, and
- Provide proof it has obtained Compounding Pharmacy Accreditation from the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy for its compounding facilities.
The consent agreement, which includes additional details about the case, is available in the “Disciplinary Action Details” section of Boothwyn Pharmacy’s license entry in PALS, the Department’s online professional licensing system.
Anyone who has concerns about a professional person or facility licensed by one of the Department’s 29 boards and commissions is encouraged to submit a complaint using the Department’s online complaint form.