By Ahmed AbouleneinWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House Medical Unit during the Trump administration provided prescription drugs, including controlled substances, to ineligible staff and spent tens of thousands of dollars more on brand-name drugs than what generic equivalents would have cost, a Pentagon report shows. The unit, part of the White House Military Office, did not comply with federal government and Department of Defense guidelines, the report, which was released on Jan. 8, found. Ineligible staffers received free specialty care and surgery at military medical facilities and were provided with prescription drugs including controlled substances, in violation of federal law, the report also found. "The White House Medical Unit's pharmaceutical management practices ineffectively used DoD funds by obtaining brand‑name medications instead of generic equivalents and increased the risk for the diversion of controlled substances," it said. Opioids and sleeping medications were not properly accounted for and were tracked using error-filled or unreadable handwritten records, the report said.

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Persons: Ahmed Aboulenein WASHINGTON, Trump, ineffectively, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Lester Martinez, Lopez, Ahmed Aboulenein, Leslie Adler Organizations: White, Medical Unit, Pentagon, Military Office, Department of Defense, Medical, Military Health