Nevada
Stop dispensing prescriptions to Nevadans, state regulators tell pharmacy
An out-of-state pharmacy without a Nevada license has been told by the state’s pharmacy board to stop dispensing prescriptions, some for the active ingredient in Ozempic, to Nevada residents.
Nova Specialty Pharmacy was issued a cease and desist, a citation and a $655,000 fine after the Nevada State Board of Pharmacy said that it was operating without a Nevada license when it sold and dispensed more than 100 prescriptions from across state lines.
A spokesperson for the board confirmed that semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, an injectable drug designed to treat diabetes that many people are instead using to lose weight, was among the products sold and dispensed in Nevada by the pharmacy.
The pharmacy, which is based in Dallas according to its website and licensed in Texas, is not licensed in Nevada, records show.
The cease and desist, citation and fine was issued to Obiechina Ezekwesili, who Texas records show is the pharmacist in charge at Nova Specialty Pharmacy. The pharmacy is owned by Echo Health LLC.
Texas inspection records show that Nova Specialty Pharmacy was out of compliance with several regulations during its most recent listed inspection in March.
The majority of the violations were in regards to a section of Texas law that provides standards for compounding, or preparing, medications in a sterile environment.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, compounding is a practice where a licensed pharmacist combines or otherwise alters the ingredients of a drug to create a medication tailored to the needs of an individual patient. The FDA also said that semaglutide, Ozempic’s active ingredient, can be compounded when the drug is in shortage.
Inspection reports said that employees working in the compounding area of Nova Specialty Pharmacy failed to engage in proper hand hygiene, failed to apply a surgical scrub and were advised to remove debris from their fingernails.
Ezekwesili said in an email that “all the hand hygiene related unsatisfactory marks were due to the cleaning products not being visible to the inspector from outside the cleanroom, not because of the lack thereof.”
“We adhere to very strict standards and always strive to ensure quality products,” he said, adding that because the inspector could not see the cleaning products, “he couldn’t credit us for it.”
The report also said that the pharmacy failed to ensure it has the proper licensure for dispensing prescriptions in other states. According to the board, prescriptions were dispensed in Nevada at least 103 times.
The letter sent by the board to the pharmacy said that the pharmacy “failed to maintain quality standards for the compounded drugs that it dispensed to its Nevada-based patients,” and that failure to adhere to these standards “may result in patient harm.”
“We advise all Nevadans to exercise heightened caution when purchasing any compounded products including semaglutide,” said Dave Wuest, executive secretary for the Nevada State Board of Pharmacy, in a statement.
Contact Estelle Atkinson at eatkinson@reviewjournal.com. Follow @estellelilym on X and @estelleatkinsonreports on Instagram.
Nevada
HopeLink of Southern Nevada hosts Pickleball Fundraiser ‘Dink for HopeLink’
HopeLink of Southern Nevada is hosting its first-ever “Dink for HopeLink” Pickleball Tournament. This is the organization’s main fundraiser of the year Join them for some friendly competition while helping raise money to PREVENT homelessness in Southern Nevada.
HopeLink of Southern Nevada is a non-profit family resource center providing much needed assistance to PREVENT families, individuals and vulnerable seniors from facing homelessness.
‘Dink for HopeLink’ is happening at CHICKEN N’ PICKLE June 28th, 2026 from 1:30pm – 5pm.
Nevada
Dr. Brian Evans Selected as Nevada County’s Health Officer
Nevada County is pleased to announce that Dr. Brian Evans has been selected to serve as Nevada County’s next Public Health Officer.
“Dr. Evans brings a long history of leadership in healthcare in Nevada County to the Health Officer position,” said Public Health Director Toby Guevin. “His expertise and knowledge of local health needs and providers across the county will be invaluable as we work to strengthen the health of our community. I also want to thank Dr. Cooke for her dedicated service as Health Officer for the past four years, guiding us through numerous challenges coming out of COVID 19.”
Dr. Evans was selected through a competitive Request for Proposals (RFP) process, which drew from a pool of highly qualified candidates nationwide. His start date is planned for July 1, 2026, pending approval by the Board of Supervisors at their June 16 meeting.
“I’m honored to step into the role of Public Health Officer for Nevada County,” said Dr. Evans. “This is an opportunity to strengthen partnerships across the community, focusing on prevention, preparedness, and improving health outcomes. I look forward to supporting a science based public health team that is responsive, transparent, and grounded in the needs of our residents.”
Dr. Evans is a physician with more than two decades of clinical and leadership experience. Since 2022, he has served as Chief Medical Officer for Tahoe Forest Health, overseeing clinical quality, patient safety, emergency preparedness, communicable disease response, and regulatory compliance across two critical access hospitals and a broad network of services. He has served as both CEO and Chief Medical Officer at Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, and served as CEO at Mercy Folsom and Chief Medical Officer at Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento.
A board-certified emergency physician, Dr. Evans practiced for 15 years in Grass Valley after completing residency at UC Davis. He holds an MD from UCLA, an MBA from CSU Sacramento, and a BS in Biology from UC Davis. Dr. Evans lives in Nevada County with his wife, Jennifer, and has two adult daughters.
California law requires each county to appoint a licensed physician as Health Officer. The Health Officer is responsible for carrying out provisions of the State Health and Safety Code and serves as the physician of record for all Public Health clinical services. The Health Officer reports to the Public Health Director.
Nevada
Nevada DMV Enforcement cracks down on stolen luxury cars sold openly on social media
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The Nevada DMV Compliance Enforcement Division is cracking down on stolen luxury cars being openly sold on social media, with criminals listing them using code words and asking as little as a tenth of the normal price.
In one case, a 2021 Hellcat TRX was advertised for $12,000. The vehicle normally sells for at least $100,000.
In an ad for the high-end truck on Facebook, the first word of the description said “lien.”
“It’s pretty blatant. I mean, it’s like advertising drugs for sale online on a public website,” said JD Decker, chief of Nevada DMV’s Compliance Enforcement Division.
Decker said the word is code for stolen.
“You won’t be able to register it or title it in your name… therefore the discounted price,” Decker said.
Investigation leads to recovery
Decker’s team tracked down the truck in the city of Las Vegas.
“We found the vehicle had been stolen locally and then wrapped to hide the color and mask the vehicle,” Decker said.
There were other signs the vehicle was stolen. The person pulled out the module from under the dash and started it by hot wire, touching the wires together. The VIN was not centered and was not a stamped manufactured VIN. The VIN also had 16 digits instead of the standard 17. A fake temporary tag was also used.
The team got a warrant to arrest the seller, though they say he fled the state.
“That subject had his first court appearance and had an attorney appear on his behalf. We know he operated between a couple different states. He had previous charges in a couple different states,” Decker said.
Decker said these openly stolen cars advertised for sale are known as striker vehicles.
“When you’re selling a striker vehicle to someone who knows it’s stolen, you really don’t have to make much effort to hide the fact that it’s stolen because that’s kind of assumed in the transaction,” Decker said.
There are also websites that will advertise and sell striker vehicles. According to Decker, the negotiation takes place on offshore encrypted websites that aren’t subject to U.S. jurisdiction.
If you ever have doubts about a vehicle you want to buy, have the seller meet you at the DMV’s VIN inspection station.
“We’d be happy to do that. It’s free. There’s generally no waiting. And if the vehicle comes from out of state, it’s going to require a VIN inspection at DMV anyway,” Decker said.
Decker said his team is constantly on social media looking for stolen vehicles for sale, especially high-end vehicles. He said the ongoing problem with fake tags contributes to this problem. FOX5 has previously reported on that problem
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