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.
Mojave (Nev.) head football coach Wes Pacheco announced on Sunday morning that he’s stepping down from his position, according to a social media post.
Pacheco announced his resignation after six seasons at the helm of the Rattlers, putting together a 29-22 overall record from 2020-2025.
“I have officially stepped down as Head Coach of the Mojave Football Program,” Pacheco said in his social media post. “Thank you to Principal Cole for giving me the opoortunity make an impact on the lives of Mojave Student-Athletes. I am grateful and blessed to have labored through a 6-year journey of successes, failures, life lessons, character building and growth with the student-athletes myself and my coaching staff have served. I will forever love my Mojave Family, the Mojave Community and believe in the notion that SUCCESS can be attained by showcasing character, treating everyone with respect, and always have the courage to dream big and trust that “ATTACKING THE HARD WORK” & “HIGH MOTORING EVERYTHING” can yield SUCCESS that you want to achieve in life!”
During Pacheco’s half dozen seasons leading Mojave, his best record came in the 2024 season when the Rattlers finished with a 12-1 record. Located out of North Las Vegas, Mojave had to compete against the likes of national high school football powerhouse Bishop Gorman during the regular season.
Mojave ended the last season with a 4-6 record and as the state’s No. 23rd ranked team, according to the final 2025 Nevada High School Football Massey Rankings.
Mojave High School, located in North Las Vegas, NV, is a dynamic public high school that fosters academic excellence, personal growth, and community involvement. Home of the Rattlers, MHS offers a wide range of academic programs, athletics, and extracurricular activities. With a strong commitment to student success, Mojave emphasizes leadership, college and career readiness, and a supportive school culture that prepares students for life beyond graduation.
For Nevada high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Silver State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across Nevada.
A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.
Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.
What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.
The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.
So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.
I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.
Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.
Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.
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Las Vegas High’s baseball team claimed a 3-2 home win over Coronado on Friday.
Las Vegas (9-13-1) next hosts Rancho at 10 a.m. Saturday. Coronado (13-14) hosts Chaparral at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
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