A Pittsburgh-area weight loss director is facing a federal charge for allegedly giving her clients a mislabeled drug that was meant for animals only.
The U.S Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania said Nicole Millen operated weight loss clinics at Renu Medical and Weight Loss in Pittsburgh and Choice Restorative Medicine in Pittsburgh, but was not a licensed doctor, nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant, veterinarian or other medical professional.
Paperwork reveals Millen would meet with customers of the weight loss clinics where she’d provide drugs that she referred to as hCG.
The U.S Attorney’s Office said Millen would order Chorulon, a veterinary prescription containing human chorionic gonadotropin (referred to as hCG) that was “indicated for intramuscular use in cows for the treatment of nymphomania due to cystic ovaries.”
Paperwork filed in the case states, “While it contained the same active ingredient as certain FDA-approved prescription drugs for humans, Chorulon was never approved for humans and its labeling, when purchased from a licensed distributor, said, “‘For animal use only’ and ‘Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian.'”
Investigators said Millen would direct an employee at her clinic to order the drug from an Illinois retailer of medical and veterinary supplies.
“Upon receipt of Chorulon at the weight loss clinics, Defendant, Nicole Millen, and employees of the clinics acting at Millen’s direction, drew the drug into unlabeled syringes, mixing it with a diluent. The unlabeled syringes were stored in refrigerators at the clinics,” paperwork stated.
Millen would then allegedly distribute the syringes containing Chorulon to customers in a bag.
“The syringes and bags did not have a label with a list of active ingredients and their quantity or proportion, nor did they contain any label or labeling informing customers that the drugs inside were only approved for animal use,” paperwork stated.
According to the FDA, hCG is not approved without a prescription and not approved for weight loss.
Millen faces one count of causing a drug to be misbranded after shipment in interstate commerce.
KDKA-TV reached out to Millen’s attorney who had no comment.
According to online records, Millen is due in court on Nov. 18 where she will have an arraignment and entry of guilty plea hearing.
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