WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court has allowed the Drug Enforcement Administration to suspend a pharmaceutical distributor for the time being over its allegedly ineffective control of a powerful painkiller.

The court lifted a temporary hold, imposed earlier this month, on the DEA’s suspension of Cardinal Health Inc., while it considered the company’s request for an injunction. But the court ruled Friday that Cardinal had not met the stringent requirements for one, while the court considers the company’s appeal.

Last month, the DEA suspended the sale of controlled substances by two CVS pharmacies in the Orlando area, and the shipment of them from Cardinal Health’s Lakeland, Fla.-based center that supplied the stores. The DEA says it was the first time stores in a national pharmacy chain were served with suspension orders.