At the time of his death,Alavi,44,had been facing a major investigation by the health watchdog,which suspended him in October and suspected he was one of the nation’s largest suppliers ofoxycodone – a highly addictive prescription opioid that Alavi was also abusing.
He was also in massive debt,including owing about $800,000 to a lender and having an outstanding financial liability to the Australian Taxation Office.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and the Victorian Pharmacy Authority were mounting a case involving script fraud and supplying section 8 drugs without a prescription.
Alavi was a key player in the Essendon peptides saga,which resulted in 34 players being found guilty of doping charges andbanned for the 2016 season.
Until his suspension,he provided individually tailored medicines for patients who are often unable to take commercially available drugs. He was also known for producing testosterone and oxycodone.
Earlier this year,AHPRA investigators attended Alavi’s pharmacy in the Como Centre in South Yarra,where they seized script pads as part of their long-running probe.