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.
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A North Las Vegas man awaiting trial for allegedly killing his girlfriend during a fight is dead, according to Nevada prison officials.
Markeem Benson, 30, died at High Desert State Prison near Indian Springs on Monday, Dec. 22, the Nevada Department of Corrections said in a statement.
An autopsy has been requested, according to the department.
Benson was serving time for an attempted robbery conviction from 2024, for which he was originally sentenced to probation with a suspended prison sentence.
He was also charged with the murder of 33-year-old Renise “Nene” Wolfe.
Renise Wolfe is pictured in this undated photo. Police allege Markeem Benson shot and killed Wolfe in a North Las Vegas apartment. (Photo provided)
North Las Vegas Police arrested him in December last year. According to an arrest report, Benson’s father called 911 saying Benson wanted to turn himself in for murder.
The father told detectives that Benson called him saying, “I killed her; I think I killed her” and “told him something to the effect of ‘she’ came at him with a gun, there was some kind of ‘tussle,’ and then the gun went off,” the report states.
An grand jury indicted him for murder and possession of a gun by a prohibited person. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Following the indictment, his probation was revoked in March, and he was incarcerated at High Desert State Prison to serve a term of two to five years.
A jury trial was scheduled to begin in April next year for Wolfe’s murder. Instead, prosecutors have asked for a hearing on Dec. 30 in light of Benson’s death, per court records.
A man serving time at the Southern Desert Correctional Center for felony reckless driving died last month, the Nevada Department of Corrections said Tuesday.
Shiloh Walker, 28, died at the Indian Springs facility on Nov. 24, a news release said. Cause of death was not listed.
Walker was serving a sentence of up to six years after a plea agreement was reached in 2022 following a DUI crash that happened May 31, 2021 in Las Vegas, according to online court records.
An autopsy was requested following Walker’s death, though results were not available as of Monday evening. Attempts to reach Walker’s family members have been unsuccessful, according to the department.
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.
After widespread condemnation last year, the U.S. Postal Service backed away from plans to move its Reno mail-processing operations to Sacramento — but did it stay true to what it told the public?
The question arose recently after letters sent from one Carson City address to another in Carson City were both postmarked in Sacramento.
Northern Nevadans did not want first class mail sent from one Northern Nevada address to another going first to California. They sent a unified message to the USPS all the way up to the postmaster general.
Critics of the USPS plan were especially worried about delays from mail having to go back and forth over the Sierra during winter.
The Washoe County District Attorney’s office filed a lawsuit over the plan, the Washoe County Commission voted to oppose the plan, public comment was universally opposed, and Democratic and Republican elected officials from across the state joined to stop it.
Could it possibly have happened anyway? The answer is yes, temporarily, for a brief time.
How letters sent in Carson City came to be processed at Sacramento USPS facility
A reader told the Reno Gazette Journal they’d twice had letters internal to Carson City postmarked in Sacramento, so we asked USPS if the policy had changed.
“Mail processing for First Class mail that originates in Northern Nevada and is destined to Northern Nevada has not changed,” USPS spokesperson Sherry Patterson responded by email.
“However,” she added, “without the specific mail piece and class of mail, we cannot determined if there is an issue.”
The reader then supplied a photo of the two envelopes postmarked Nov. 5 in Sacramento, and this was shared with USPS.
“Our processing machine in Reno was temporarily out of service while we awaited a replacement part,” Patterson said after viewing the postmarks to nail down the specific date the letters went through Sacramento.
“To ensure that mail was not delayed during this time, we implemented a contingency plan that involved routing certain mail to our Sacramento facility for cancellation and processing. This measure allows us to maintain service continuity and minimize disruptions for our customers. We understand that this may cause some confusion, and we are committed to ensuring that all mail is processed efficiently and accurately.”
Bottom line: Regarding first class mail that’s being sent to and from Northern Nevada addresses, it’s still USPS policy to process that in Reno at its Vassar Street facility, she said.
The path these particular letters took, Patterson added, “is indeed an unusual occurrence.”
Mark Robison is the state politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal, with occasional forays into other topics. Email comments to mrobison@rgj.com or comment on Mark’s Greater Reno Facebook page.
Powerball fever for estimated $1.7 billion jackpot as warm as the Texas weather
Mia Bailey initially housed with men in prison after Utah murder convictions
Police searching for Vt. woman accused in baby’s drowning death
Nonprofit serves thousands as food insecurity grows in Northern Virginia
Shooting during ICE operation in Maryland leaves 2 injured, officials say
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Nearly 20 states sue HHS over declaration to restrict gender transition treatment for minors
Europe defends its digital rules after US targets Breton with visa ban
New Epstein files mention Trump. And, SCOTUS rules on National Guard in Chicago
Nick Fuentes says he’ll campaign against Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio in slur-laced rant
Libyan army chief killed in plane crash: What next?
-
Iowa1 week agoAddy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI
-
Maine1 week agoElementary-aged student killed in school bus crash in southern Maine
-
Maryland1 week agoFrigid temperatures to start the week in Maryland
-
New Mexico1 week agoFamily clarifies why they believe missing New Mexico man is dead
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, a 47-year-old physicist and fusion scientist, shot and killed in his home in Brookline, Mass. | Fortune
-
Detroit, MI1 week ago‘Love being a pedo’: Metro Detroit doctor, attorney, therapist accused in web of child porn chats
-
Health1 week ago‘Aggressive’ new flu variant sweeps globe as doctors warn of severe symptoms
-
Maine1 week agoFamily in Maine host food pantry for deer | Hand Off