Ashland, Ky.-based physician Matthew Lewis, MD, owner of Lewis Family Care, pleaded guilty to receiving and selling misbranded drugs with intent to defraud or mislead, according to an April 14 news release from the Justice Department.
What happened?
- Although only Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy are FDA-approved semaglutide drugs, Dr. Lewis admitted to purchasing non-FDA approved semaglutide from unregistered suppliers in California and Georgia. The vials of semaglutide were labeled “for lab research and development only” and lacked required information like directions, warnings, expiration dates and ingredient lists.
- Dr. Lewis used Venmo, Afterpay and phone orders to discreetly purchase the drugs, often labeling transactions with misleading terms like “Meal Prep.”
- Between May 2023 and February 2024, Dr. Lewis’ clinic made $249,044.40 from administering the unapproved semaglutide to patients at his weight loss clinic.
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